


Legacy: Infinity

by orphan_account



Series: Legacy [3]
Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Abuse, Angst, Betrayal, Character Death, Child Loss, Childhood Trauma, Denial, F/M, Female Friendship, Friends to Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, Infiltration, Mental Anguish, Mental Health Issues, Murder, One Night Stands, Parent-Child Relationship, Past Relationship(s), Religious Conflict, Self-Discovery, ThunderClan (Warriors), Torture, Trust Issues, Verbal Abuse, Whump
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-12-27
Updated: 2019-12-27
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:14:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 49
Words: 234,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21992773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: The mountains have remained motionless long enough. They rise to a time of turmoil and strife spurred on by dubious informants, renegade soldiers, ignorant fighters, and suicidal leaders. And into this perfect storm one strange cat bares her fangs and defies logic to make for herself a home for now and all time.
Relationships: Jay & Amelia, Jay/Ash
Series: Legacy [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1525118
Kudos: 4





	1. Prologue

Up in the mountains, deep within the valleys and peaks, a bright red-orange tom moved noiselessly over the steep barren rocks. The setting sun bounced off his pelt and it blazed like a dying fire as he cautiously made his way toward the mouth of a black cave that yawned along the precarious mountain path he picked his way over.

Though the wind blew in his ears, he could already hear the rising and falling of voices coming from the cave. Sagacious shouts and laughing purrs mingled in both a wonderful and terrible tide of noise. The tom's fur prickled with excitement with the force of the noise and his eyes alighted upon feline shapes moving inside the shadows.

He stopped at the entrance and waited for a nod from the grim-faced cat sitting guard before proceeding. The cave stank of rotting food and unclean fur, the calming scent of stone and water had long since vanished as the puddles became clogged with old prey and cats scrambled over each other to find sitting places.

The orange tom- although not new to this scent- was uncomfortable with it and stayed at the back where it was more tolerable. He sat beside an elderly white she-cat with long fur and sharp eyes who was with a much younger black she-cat with equally fluffy fur and sharp eyes.

"Crystal, Midnight," the tom greeted the two she-cats respectfully though with a hint of novelty that ruffled the younger cat's fur.

"I haven't seen you for awhile. Where have you been?" the older she-cat rasped, turning her piercing gaze on him and pinning him in it. Despite often being pressed to tell of his secrets, he was uncomfortable with this particular gaze.

"As an informant, I can't divulge such information at will. But I have been working," he added quickly.

Midnight snorted, turning her nose up, "I don't trust a cat that can't answer such a simple question," she declared.

He decided it was best not to press the issue more and after staring hard at the she-cat for a moment smiled and turned his attention to his boss who had leaped upon a pile of rocks that rose above the heads of the cats. His name was Python, as vicious as his name but with a love for justice and integrity that could set even a cold cat's heart aflame.

This impressive persona now quieted the cats with a wave of his tail and the spectators leaned forward, open-mouthed and eager eyed. The orange tom felt the same thumping in his chest as he was sure the others were feeling. Captivated by this cat's noble ideals and unyielding energy he invented for it.

"Friends, the time grows closer, ever closer. Those cavern cats will soon find their evils wiped from the face of the mountainside by the righteousness of our claws. Those beasts, who treat each other so deplorably- especially their better halves- will either be destroyed by their wrongdoings or guided back to the noble right of cats by our superior consciences."

The orange tom nodded solemnly along with the words and images flashed behind his eyes of all the injustices these cats would fix. No, what his cats would fix. He smiled slyly to himself as the cats continued cheering to the end of Python's speech.

"Do you have anything to tell Python, _informant_?" Midnight spat the last word, catching his grin, and the tom purred cheerfully.

"Of course I have information! Since the snow has melted, things have gotten very interesting with the cavern cats," he mewed.

"Interesting how?" Crystal asked, narrowing her eyes.

The tom glanced quickly from side to side, though he was supposed to tell Python everything first he couldn't help but reveal just one detail... "Night is getting too old to lead and there's been talk about a new leader," he whispered so that only the three of them would hear.

Crystal frowned, "A new leader could weaken them, but a young leader could also make them stronger."

The orange tom shrugged, "It's Python's decision to make regarding that. I'm just the informant." He got up and slowly started making his way over to the leader who was talking intimately with all who got close enough for him to hear.

Crystal and Midnight watched him go, "Mark my words, he's a troublemaker, and they'll regret ever having him as a friend," Midnight mewed.

Crystal didn't respond at first, still watching the bright tom with narrowed eyes. "He certainly is secretive about his methods. But so far everything he's told has been true and it is rather helpful. Those cavern cats don't even know we exist. When it comes to a fight, these cats will have every advantage," the old cat got to her paws with a puff of breath. "Not that I'll be fighting of course," the white cat added with a wry smile, her youth had been spent long ago.

"Mother, we should start heading back before we lose all of our light," Midnight mewed. Traveling through the mountains at night was more than reckless, it was plain stupid. The temperatures dropped dramatically and there were so many shadows cast by the mountains that even on a clear night you may only be able to see half the trail.

"Of course. But I would like one word with Python before we go back though. We don't always come to these gatherings," Crystal mewed, starting to push her way through the sea of cats.

Midnight waited at the back of the cave as her mother approached the distinguished leader. She watched approvingly as Python met her mother cordially and respectfully listened to what she said. The black she-cat looked around with faint curiosity. Many of the cats here weren't actually under Python's leadership and, like her, had only come to see and listen.

Although Python had a massive fighting force already, he was always recruiting loners who might be willing to join him on his conquest to defeat the evil cavern cats and held these gatherings as an invitation to all. The orange tom from earlier was one of those recruits, but he held a special position she did not know of and was a self-proclaimed informant. _I don't trust any cat I can't get a straight answer from_ , she narrowed her eyes as she stared at the back of the tom.

His fake smile and mock purr that allowed him to fit in so easily made her nauseous. The lies he spewed with every other word made her insides curl and the look in his eye, that he was more cruel and calculating then even Python, was more than enough make her dislike the tom. Though every cat thought she was just overly suspicious of him for no apparent reason.

She glowered at him now, angry that he had spoken to her and her mother. Midnight knew him well enough to know that if he talked to you, he wanted something from you. She didn't know how, but he had dirty ways of getting his info and she was sure that no good would come of their earlier conversation.

She broke off her glare as a younger gray and white she-cat stepped in front of her, blocking her view. Her blue eyes were large and unblinking and from the scars on the cat's pelt, Midnight guessed she was one of Python's soldiers. "Who are you?" the gray she-cat asked, staring as if through her. Her voice was flat and cold with no feeling, unnerving the black cat.

"I'm here to see what Python is doing with my mother," Midnight mewed honestly.

"I've seen you here before," the cat went on, looking her up and down, her gaze lingering on Midnight's one white paw.

"I've been here a few times before," the black cat answered hesitantly, not sure how much she should tell this strange cat.

"Are you going to join our ranks?" the unfeeling cat continued, still with that methodical tone of voice, as if she were trained to speak these words to a thousand different cats the same way over and over again.

Midnight paused in her thoughts. It had crossed her mind once before, she'd heard plenty of stories from her mother and had once chanced to see for herself the cruelty of these cavern creatures that dared call themselves cats. And yet, her mother and her mother's brothers would surely die without her as she was the only one left to take care of them.

She shook her head, "No, I'm just here to escort my mother. I'm happy with my life as it is."

The gray and white cat didn't blink, "Not every cat is as happy with their lives as you." Then she turned and disappeared among the cats. Midnight didn't have time to watch her for long as her mother had returned and the two she-cats bade the sour-faced guard goodbye as they stepped out of the bustling cave.

After the warmth of all those cats in the closer-quartered cave the chill mountain air was a shock and she fluffed up her thick black fur. The sky was turning indigo purple as the shadows deepened in the valley and gulleys before climbing up to grasp at the mountain peaks.

"If we don't hurry we won't make the valley before nightfall," Midnight mewed worriedly. Their den was on the other side of the valley, but if they got off the mountainside with the light, they could safely make their way to the den in the dark.

"Do you see that bit of green on the side of the mountain over there?" Crystal mewed, staring hard at the far side of the horizon where more mountains rose around the bowl shaped valley.

Midnight squinted hard, "No, I don't. But we need to get moving," she mewed, starting down the trail and then pausing as her mother didn't follow.

"That's where the cavern cats live," a new voice spoke up and Midnight saw the orange tom standing beside Crystal and smiling. He looked at her, his fangs glimmering in the dim light, "Over there, the two of you would be torn to shreds in a heartbeat. Well, at least Crystal would. They might find you to be useful enough," he mewed to her,turning his voice into an appreciative purr.

Midnight flattened her ears, "Get lost," she snarled.

But he didn't flinch. "I've heard that your sister ran off with your mate to join Python's ranks. And yet you still go through the trouble of bringing your mother here out of sheer curiosity even though it's because of this that you're stuck caring for three elders all by your lonesome," the tom persisted, stepping closer. A look in his eye made her stomach churn, but not exactly in a bad way.

"My sister made the decision to act like a kit, and I made the decision to act like a grown cat. That's all there is too it," Midnight growled, her heart feeling like it were being raked by invisible claws as it fluttered in her chest. Had her sister been there tonight? Had her mate? She had neither seen nor scented them among the cats, and she hoped that if they had been there they didn't notice her.

"Of course, but isn't it a little unfair? Why should your littermate be able to be a kit while _you_ have to make the responsible choices? Why not just cut loose for a night, do what you want to do," he had padded forward and now he was whispering in her ear.

Midnight's heart pounded at his closeness, the soft scent on his fur- untainted by the cave- and the soft tone of his voice that was both innocent and alluring. "And who would I cut loose with?" she rasped, longing pulled at her belly as she stared over his back at the sky. The shadows were so deep, surely they would cover her till morning just as always. It would only be one night, one 'yes.'

"I would be more than happy to serve you for one night," the orange tom mewed, stepping back up the trail so that he towered over her. She could see the rolling muscles and the comfortable curve of his side. How good it would be to sleep so close to a cat again. Her first mate hadn't nearly been so good-looking and the shadows hadn't suited him so well either.

"Just one night," she whispered, repeating his words and raised her gaze to meet his eyes. And he had her, they took off at neck-break speed down the trail, first chasing then being chased by the breeze they kicked up at their paws. Dashing into the valley that was turning green and rolling intertwined beside swollen streams as the moon and stars winked down at them from up above. Sharing their warmth and unowned love in a nest in a moss covered hollow as they whispered secret things to one another.

When Midnight woke the next morning she was all alone, her fur matted and clumped from the night's activities and she stretched, feeling unbelievably satisfied and secretly glad that the tom had left before she had to face him in the morning light.

Getting up, she trotted through the valley for her den. She wasn't worried about her mother, Crystal may be old but she wasn't frail. And when she got to her den underneath the dried up bank, the three elders were curled up and still sleeping, the rising sun just barely touching their fur.

Midnight stood outside the den, the cold clear air frosted into her bones as she thought about last night. She didn't think of it as spent with any cat in particular, simply a faceless, nameless cat that had added to her pleasure. Although she didn't know it now, it had been only one 'yes,' but it would cost a thousand regrets.


	2. A Wandering Jay

Gray mist hung over the faintly green forest. Wetting the grass till it was slippery to step upon and slicking the leaves until they dripped steadily with moisture. Through the green and the gray stalked a lithe young she-cat, her fur smoky gray with a hint of blue and her eyes a hazy midnight blue.

Although she was alone and in unfamiliar territory, she padded forward with a light spring in her step and a content atmosphere that gave her a lovely serene look. Her eyes flickered ahead of her, searching for the best path through the uncharted undergrowth and then around at the sparkling mist droplets that dampened her fur so that it clung to her thin sides.

This cat's name is Jay, though she was formerly known as Jaypaw of ThunderClan. The reasons for her departure into this strange part of the forest is both complicated and unnecessary. She is simply here because she wants to be.

That thought was enough for the she-cat to continue going through the dripping forest, every paw step taking her further from family and the life she'd known and been content with. But her face showed she had no regrets about leaving. She wasn't here to look back, instead, she was looking forward with the belief that better days were to come on her travels.

About noon the mist stopped it's ticklish spray and turned into real rain and Jay shivered as the water ran through her soaked fur and over her skin. Seeking shelter in the strange woods, she crept under a thick root of an oak tree that curled above the ground.

The water dripped from her whiskers and when she crouched to sit her underside turned wet, cold, and uncomfortable as she laid down in the mud to give her paws a rest. Yes, not even in these sorry circumstances did she miss the water-tight warm apprentice den she had shared with her brother for nearly six moons.

 _I bet the warrior ceremony is already over, or maybe they postponed it when I went missing?_ She hoped they hadn't for she had left at dusk the night before after passing her warrior assessment and hadn't stopped walking until now as the mist and rain destroyed her scent trail.

Her father was sure to worry, her older siblings would be saddened, and her brother would probably be devastated. But her mother always seemed to know where her life was heading and had said goodbye even though Jay hadn't breathed a word about her departure. And she was sure he would mourn, but would be secretly relived to see her gone and the problems she posed as well. And that was all right with her.

She must have dozed, for when she awoke the sun was shining through the dripping leaves and the warmth was much welcomed as Jay stood and stretched, sniffing the air for prey. Luckily, she didn't have to go far before she discovered two mice sniffling together among the damp grass stems.

Jay dropped to a crouch and with long practiced ease moved forward one-paw step at a time, her eyes fixated on her prey and her nose flaring with the delicious scent. Pouncing, she brought down one of the mice and whirled to grab the other, but it was already scampering into a hole and she only saw its long tail disappearing.

Shrugging, she made due with the one mouse and gulped it down, spending some time afterward to clean her dirty fur until it lustily gleamed in the filtered light. Leisurely, she started strolling through the woods again as if she were only going for a short walk instead of continuing on a dangerous journey.

The forest was quiet, a silence that would have unnerved plenty of other cat in the unknown. But Jay was happy to know where she was and what was around her only by what she could see, smell, and hear. The leafy trees mingled with pine and cedar and for the first time her fur prickled as a hawk's cry echoed eerily in the empty spaces between the trees.

However, she lost her discomfort and soon came to appreciate that under the pines was drier and even if the sun didn't shine quite so bright, it was still warmer than walking through wet oaks. Fairly soon the trees were almost entirely evergreens and dusk descended.

Jay efficiently chose a small scoop in the earth that was in the shelter of a briar thicket and caught a blackbird for her evening meal, curling down quiet and content in the shallow scoop of earth. This ended her first day of wanders.

* * *

The next day followed much like the first. Jay awoke with dawn and after a quick grooming she started off steadfastly in the same direction she had been following. _Where the sun sets, there is a great expanse of water called the ocean. You will know it for it is salty and very loud with screaming birds and hot sand._

That's what her mother had told her, and her father who had traveled there once to search for her mother's parents. Jay wanted to see what this looked like for herself, that was the destination of her wandering. Until sun-high she traveled in the pines that seemed to grow thicker and darker, but all at once they ended, overlooking undulating green hills that were bare of anything but green.

Jay was not sorry to step out from under the pine's shadows into the open sunshine, the fresh air dancing in her whiskers as she followed a half forgotten path through the hills. When the pines were only a dark haze in the distance she paused beside a stream to drink her fill and she blinked as she saw a fish flash beneath the water.

She'd never had fish and was not fond of getting her paws wet, but she hadn't eaten anything today and her belly was grumbling in complaint. Besides, how hard could catching fish be?

Apparently harder then she thought. As the sun kept moving she kept missing the fish with her claws until she laid down on the grass the catch her breath, more tired and hungrier then before her break.

"You won't catch any fish like that," a cat mewed.

Jay quickly got to her paws and warily faced the stranger who had approached her undetected. The cat was a plump and small brown tabby tom with bright brown eyes and a pleasant look on his chubby face. She would almost have mistaken him for a kittypet but she could see the compact muscle beneath the flesh and the stench of fish on his fur was nearly overpowering.

She stood back and watched as he crouched by the stream, his eyes watching the water with a serious look of concentration. Before Jay knew it there was a splash and a fish lay at her paws, flopping. She pounced and ended its life, looking back at the tom with an impressed look on her face.

"Nicely done," she congratulated.

The tom shrugged, looking pleased with her praise. "You can go ahead and eat that, I already ate and fish are better fresh," he invited.

Jay nodded, most warriors would have a problem with eating prey they didn't catch and most ThunderClan cats would have trouble eating fish in general, but she wasn't going to turn down free food. She knew that she couldn't afford to be picky now that she was on her own.

She bit into the soft flesh of the fish and her face curled at the thick scent that masked her senses. The tom chuckled as she forced down the mouthful and cringed to take another. But after a few bites it got easier and Jay finished the whole fish, only gagging twice. "Thank you for the meal," she mewed, cleaning the last scraps of food from her whiskers and washing her paws in the stream.

"Why don't you come to my den?" he invited, "I rarely meet a cat like you wandering these hills."

Jay didn't respond, staring at the stream thoughtfully. She looked up and met his eager gaze, "If you teach me how to fish, I will stay the night at your den."

So that afternoon the loner, who called himself Beaver, taught her how to fish. He showed her to crouch so that her shadow didn't fall on the water. How to use her claws to catch the fish instead of her paw. And how to scoop the fish off the top of the water as if skimming off a leaf so neatly that before the sun set she could catch a fish in less then a minute.

However, while practicing fishing, she slipped off the bank and fell into the stream. The stream was shallow so that when she stood in the middle it only reached half way up her flank. But while scrambling against the current she slipped and cut one of her back paws on a sharp rock.

Luckily, her mother had taught her how to treat basic injuries and while Beaver worried behind her she wrapped the injured paw in some nearby dock and continued the lesson, letting the sun dry her wet fur. Though she was careful to not lean too heavily on that back paw and was more careful about how close she got to the water.

As the clear sky turned from pastel blue to poppy red and lily orange, the two cats chatted over a fish dinner and Beaver led the slightly limping Jay away from the stream. "So you are only traveling through this area?" Beaver asked on the way, looking a little disappointed as Jay nodded in confirmation.

"I'm on my way to the ocean, is it far?" Jay asked, limping forward so that they stood shoulder to shoulder as they came over the rise.

Beaver paused, looking her over closely as the sunset blinded them straight ahead, big and bright in its colorful majesty and sending their shadows far behind them. The light also cast deep shadows over the green hills that were smaller and turned the western side of the taller hills orange.

"I've never been there," he mewed, "But some cats have passed through saying they've seen it. I think it's only another day's journey if you make good time."

Jay's tail curled happily, "I'll leave early tomorrow then," she mewed, waiting for Beaver to continue leading her to his den.

But he hesitated, "You can stay longer then the night. Maybe until your paw heals? You're welcome as long as you like," he offered.

Jay shook her head, a little ashamed to turn down his generosity- but seeing what he wanted from her- she had to. "My paw isn't too badly hurt. I'll only stay the night," she mewed firmly.

Beaver didn't argue but he seemed unhappy as he led her down the hill and into a well hidden tunnel dug into the hillside, its entrance mostly blocked by what looked to be lots of rocks from a landslide years ago that stuck out over the slope, forming a little cliff in the hill.

Jay stepped after him into the den. Because of the entrance being so well sealed there was little light but she could see a neat pile of fish bones to be buried later and a large moss nest, big enough for two cats as fat as Beaver. She was a little surprised to see a small pile of select herbs set upon a rock so that they would not decompose into the dirt floor.

"Do you know much about medicine?" Jay asked, thinking about ThunderClan's medicine-cat and her large stock of herbs.

Beaver followed her gaze and a little awkwardly shook his head, "I don't know much about medicine, I use those herbs for... something else." Jay didn't ask anything further and sat by the entrance while Beaver shuffled around behind her, going about his own business.

She watched the sun set behind the horizon and counted the stars that appeared before the orange fury had fully disappeared from the sky. Soon the sun was fully set and the claw scratch moon and stars shined with what weak light they could muster so close to the new moon.

"Jay? Are you going to sleep?" Beaver's voice was right behind her and she turned her head, blinking as she realized that the den was pitch black so that she couldn't see even Beaver, whom she could feel was right behind her.

"Yes," she mewed, getting to her paws and stepping deeper into the darkness, only a faint light showed where the entrance was, everything else was a blob of nothingness.

But Beaver easily led her through the small den, "I only have one nest, if you want, we could share it," he offered.

Jay twitched her ears, he was being more direct than she would like. "That's fine," she mewed, but in a voice that held a hint of warning so that when they had climbed into the nest their fur didn't touch.

She was nearly asleep when a heavy herb smell arose right in front of her nose, "What is this?" she asked.

"Some herbs that I prepared for you. Try them, they're good," he encouraged in the darkness, his voice eager.

"What do they do?" Jay asked evenly.

"A traveler showed me them before, they help you sleep much, much better and give you extra strength. I always give them to my guests but they're only good for when you go to sleep," Beaver explained.

Jay didn't answer him but they did smelled good and she recognized poppy seeds in the concoction. She ate them. They tasted, well, not sweet, but not bad either. They made her head whirl as if she were doing backflips in the sky and had she been able to see colors, she was sure they would be swimming.

Sleep quickly impeded on the strange sensations brought about by the aromatic herbs. And that's how her second night ended. Or, how it could have ended.

Jay had, as she'd nibbled the herbs, been aware of Beaver crouched hungrily besides her and had forced some of the herbs into his mouth so far back that he could either swallow or choke. She forced fed him the majority, only nibbling a little for herself and having that incredible sensation wash over her.

Just before midnight she awoke again, still groggy from the effects of the herbs. She couldn't see a thing, but she could hear Beaver snoring besides her and giggled, letting her laugh ring out merrily like the song of a bird for she knew he would not wake. Jay stood up, looking down where she knew the tom was sleeping, caught in his own trap.

She had seen his hungry look, the glances he'd given her when he thought she wasn't looking. He had been lonely and wanted a mate, if making her have his kits was what it took to convince her, he could have gone through with it if she'd been just a little more stupid. _Though, perhaps a smart cat wouldn't have come to a strange, lone tom's den alone in the first place?_

She shrugged and trotted to the entrance, she would continue her journey by the faint moonlight. She paused just long enough to glance back at the dark den, "Sorry, pal," she mewed, addressing the unconscious tom, "You were a little too late to fool me."

* * *

At dawn Jay rested, still among the green hills and carefully changed the dock wrap on her back paw. And when she rose the sun was warm and shining happily while the breeze came straight from the west. At the crest of a hill, Jay opened her mouth and started in surprise at the wet salty taste in the wind. She was getting closer!

Breaking into a brisk trot she climbed and descended upon several hills until the ground became flat and the grass thinned, tiny streams of sand laying between the sparse patches of coarse green. The gray she-cat twitched her ears, a low rumbling sound came from up ahead and she checked the sky for clouds since it almost sounded like thunder.

Crossing the remaining bit of ground that turned completely to blistering sand, Jay stared out over a vast space of stormy blue water. It was dark and wild and powerful and it sent chills down her spine. But they were good chills, excited chills- Jay had found what she'd been looking for.

And yet, it wasn't what she had imagined. There were no protective cliffs, just flat white sand that was hot and burning from the sun. The water rushed in and out, pushing sand in and out along the shoreline. Jay knew that if a cat went in too deep, they'd be lost for sure.

Jay went to the edge of the water and sniffed, just from the overpowering scent of salt she knew there was no way any cat could drink it. But, just to make sure, she tried it and promptly spat it out, licking her tongue over her muzzle distastefully as she backed away- the taste of salt was more overpowering than fish.

For the first time, worry started crowding her thoughts. She hadn't seen any sign of prey in a while, there was no shelter, and no drinking water. She could not make a home here. However, she knew that her mother had lived somewhere around here before so it must be possible.

Turning in a southerly direction, she padded along the edge of the water where she could walk in the wet sand and therefore protect her paws from the burning sand. That day she walked almost nonstop, watching the water for fish of which she never spotted and keeping an eye out for any other prey or creature that might be lurking about.

At dusk she knew she had to find some water. Her mouth tasted like it was coated in salt and her eyes were heavy with the sticky liquid on the breeze. Her fur was burning hot from the sun beating down mercilessly and her belly seemed to be twisting in on itself from lack of food.

 _Who knew traveling would be so hard_. Stepping quickly over the hot sand she made it to the patches of short stubby grass where she could rest her burning paws. Luckily, in the grass and long reeds that lined the beach there was the scent if mice and it wasn't much longer before Jay had feasted on three delectable morsels.

But now she was even more aware of her need for water and continued searching as the sun went down behind the water, turning the ocean into a blazing inferno of color. She sometimes wandered far enough away in her search that she could only faintly hear the crash of the curling waves.

That was how she spent the third night of her wanderings. It wasn't until dawn of the next morning that she found a small pool of old rainwater water, lukewarm from the sun and slightly off-taste, but very delicious to her thirsty mouth. She drank her fill and then sat to groom her fur, cleaning off the salty taste until she was sure she never wanted to taste salt again. _Though if I want to live here, I better get used to it._ She rested only for a little while, finding the short grass uncomfortable.

Turning back to the ocean she traveled along the shore for the rest of the day, stopping to catch prey away from the beach and find some water to drink just as the day before. And so the fourth day ended, and the fifth, and the sixth. She never saw another cat the entire time and although she was relieved to not have the trouble, she worried of being on that abandoned shore alone for forever.

But on the seventh day the scenery changed. Sandy cliffs rose between the ocean and the grass that lined the end of the beach. Jay stayed beside the water, watching them rise from shoulder height to head height to above her head.

And that night she found a little sea cave carved into the cliffs to sleep in and for the first time, listening to the noisy tide of the waves, felt that she might be able to live there. And her seventh day ended.

In the morning, she thought the air felt different than the days before but when she exited the cave the sky was clear and the sun was blinding her with its brightness. Before sun-high, as she walked besides the water, she felt an eerie and vulnerable feeling on her back. The sensation of being watched. She knew it well from growing up in the Clan under her circumstances.

Squinting against the sunlight, she looked up at the cliff top and all around her. But nothing stirred but those big lazy white birds that let out their awkward cry until her ears bled. Jay sniffed the air, lifting her nose and opening her mouth but all she detected was the salty breeze. However, about this time she noticed that the horizon over the mesmeric waves seemed to be darkening and the breeze had shifted from south-west to straight out of the west, blasting the side of her face as she walked parallel to the shore so that she had to close her right eye.

Jay, ignorant to the ways of violent ocean storms, continued padding along the water, vaguely noting that the water seemed to be creeping further into shore, washing over her paws where she had once been standing on hot dry sand.

As the storm clouds turned blacker and more erratic in growth and movement, Jay started watching the cliff for a cave to wait out the storm. The cliffs had risen to a new height, as tall as the treetops back in the forest and the sky was more than just a dismal gray, it was turbulently dark with rumbles of thunder rolling in with the waves.

Jay walked faster, although she wasn't afraid of storms, she was not fond of them and did not wish to get soaked and catch a chill on her travels. And besides that, she didn't like how the waves seemed to be growing more fitful, crashing with more force until it drowned out all other noise.

She grew anxious, scanning the cliff for a hollow with one eye and an eye on the growing storm with the other, while at the same time trying to spot the eyes she could feel still trained upon her exposed back. Flashes of lighting started flaring about the storm and the grumbling thunder grew to a mild roar.

The sand seemed to turn gray under the dark sky and she could see rain coming down in curtains over the water. Hurrying into a bound, she crossed the beach swiftly, turning her back on the ocean as she searched for any safe hold at all, but there were none, the cliffs- tall and straight- trapped her beside the unsettled ocean.

Now the storm was upon her. Heralded by a gust of wind carrying stinging rain that pelted her skin which was swiftly followed up by a deafening crash of thunder as waves washed around her legs. Scampering out of the water, she slipped on the receding sand and before she could find her legs again she was being swept away, spinning and tumbling in a mess of dark bubbles.

Salty water filled her mouth and she choked and sputtered, pushing downward with her paws until she broke the surface, wave upon wave towering over her head and bobbing her up and down as they swept past. She was far enough away from shore that they didn't curl and push her under, but she was pushed further out with every wave.

Panic seized her as she felt her fur dragging her down and her legs began to tire. But with every push toward shore, she seemed to go back two, the strong current dragging her backwards. "Hey cat!" a lone call split the noise and Jay faced the shore, squinting her eyes against the rain and hazily seeing what could be a figure on the beach.

"Swim sideways to the beach!" the voice shouted. Jay dutifully turned so that her flank was toward the beach and began clumsily swimming. She thrust her paws through the water and let her tail flick from side to side to keep balance.

She was amazed when the force dragging her back lessened and she tentatively turned toward shore, willing her tired legs to continue working, focusing her gaze and mind on swimming and on the figure that remained on shore. What a sweet relief it was when her paws touched the sand and she shakily stood out of the water, her fur streaming with water as more pounded down upon her from above, chilling her beyond a chill.

Jay flopped down on the shore well away from the ocean, not caring about the flashing lighting and threatening thunder. Hardly aware of the cold rain that continued washing down upon her, just relishing in the relief her legs felt.

"What kind of idiot wanders close to shore when there's a storm brewing?" the scornful mew sounded above her head and Jay knew it was her savior.

But she was too tired to open her eyes and her chest was heaving for breath still. "Apparently, my kind of idiot," Jay managed to get out, smiling.

The cat didn't make a sound for a couple of minutes but, when Jay had enough breath to sit up, the cat cuffed her. "A mother ought to be more aware than that," the cat's voice was hard and Jay squirmed a little.

Jay glanced at her savior and then stared at the cat. The fur clung to the she-cat's sides and she was small, shorter than even Jay. Her head was round and her ears were large and her paws looked like they belonged to a much larger cat. If Jay had thought her body was disproportionate, this cat was ten times more so. What unnerved Jay the most, though, was the cat's eyes.

They were a dark blue, so dark that in the dim light she could have sworn they were black. But it wasn't the color that disturbed her, it was the fact that they were exactly like hers. "Come to my den, you need a place to dry off before you get a chill," the cat ordered, apparently having no questions about Jay at all.

Jay followed as ordered as the rain continued pouring down and before long they arrived to a place in the cliffs where a broken sandy trail, half-washed away by the rain, led to the top. Half-way up the trail though, there was a gap in the cliff and Jay guessed this was the cat's den.

She followed the she-cat up the cliff, struggling against the slippery sand and giving a sigh of relief as her paws hit the firm footing of the den. "You can stay until the storm passes," the cat mewed sharply.

Jay nodded, "Thank you for your generosity," she mewed, sitting by the entrance, too tired to dry her fur and letting it pool around her.

The cat scowled, "Can cats nowadays not even groom their own fur?" the she-cat flattened her own dripping ears to her head and moved toward Jay, starting to groom her fur with long, expert strokes. Jay relaxed, closing her eyes in bliss as the feeling awoke memories of living in the nursery with her brother and mother.

"What's your name?" the cat asked, breaking off in her strokes to look in Jay's eyes closely. _So she did notice._

"Jay," she mewed.

"Where are you from? It's painfully obvious you're not from around here," the she-cat mewed, finishing the grooming and turning to her own wet fur.

"A forest, about a quarter moon's journey away from here," Jay mewed, not wishing to give out too much information.

"And why is an expectant mother wandering around so far away from home?" the she-cat scowled, "It's irresponsible. And where is the father? Why is he letting you do this?"

Jay didn't answer, just sat and stroked her belly. She couldn't even tell she was expecting yet, how could this cat? "I'm here because I wanted to be here," she mewed, "I left because I wanted to leave. I chose to do this without anyone and I stand by that decision."

The she-cat cuffed her again and Jay glared at her reproachfully, "Fool! You have to choose for your kits too. You can't just think about yourself now. Traveling alone while expecting kits doesn't just make you vulnerable, it makes them incredibly vulnerable too. You need to find a home and a cat to help you when you have kits."

Jay looked away, "What are you suggesting I do then? I don't know any cat."

"Go home," the she-cat growled. "You're young, I'm sure your parents will help you if no cat else. And don't tell me you don't have a friend or littermate or some cat, not too mention the father."

Jay sniffed, "No, I'll continue traveling for now. It'll work out by itself so I won't worry," she decided.

The she-cat hissed, "You're crazy!" then turned around and stomped across the den to flop down in a moss nest.

For the first time Jay noticed that there was another scent in the den, a stale, lingering tom scent. "Do you live here alone?" Jay asked as the cat curled down in the nest that was big enough for two to share.

"Yes," the she-cat mewed. "You can sleep while you wait for the storm to pass," the cat added.

Jay thankfully sank down on the floor, not even minding that she didn't have a nest. "By the way," Jay added sleepily, "What's your name?"

The she-cat didn't answer immediately, tossing the question through the air for a few moments. "Pepper."


	3. O'er the Hill and Far Away

Jay woke with a pounding in her head. Bleary, she opened her eyes and found them sticky with secreted salty moisture. She was still curled down on the packed sand floor, the light slanting away from the entrance, telling her it was morning. The sky outside was a powdery gray and the ocean waves had quieted to their normal rumbling purr.

With a grunt of effort, Jay pushed herself to a sitting position with her forepaws and her head bobbed as she waited to catch her balance. "You're up, finally," an annoyed mew brought her attention to the owner of the den. Pepper stood beside her nest, her tail whisking behind her irritably.

"Sorry, it seems I slept all night," Jay apologized, her voice was hoarse.

"And you've managed to get sick on top of that," Pepper hissed, the fur lifting along her spine. Jay didn't speak as Pepper whipped around to the back of the den and stalked back, spitting out a few leaves at her paws. "Eat those and get out."

Jay dipped her head, sniffing at the leaves carefully. She recognized the scent of tansy and knew it to be safe so she licked them up, scrunching her face at the sharp taste and shaking her head, willing the pain away. "I'll be on my way, then," she mewed, turning to the entrance.

"Good riddance," Pepper growled, turning her back to her as she stepped out of the den, squinting her eyes against the spray that the fierce wind whipped off the top of the waves. Turning her paws upward along the trail, her paws carried her to the top of the cliffs. Her stomach rumbled more loudly than the waves crashing down below.

But the top of the cliffs were just as desolate as the beach, sand mixed with patches of dirt and a few patches of coarse, needle-like grass. In the distance she could see a hazy line of trees. _Where does Pepper get her food?_ Jay looked around uncertainly, surely there had to be somewhere closer than so far away?

Her belly rumbled loudly in complaint and she curled her claws, stepping out in the direction of the trees. She wouldn't find anything by standing here worrying about it. As the gray she-cat trekked across the path, she spotted a small pool of water left over from the storm yesterday.

Crouching besides it, she closed her eyes contentedly and drank, relishing the fact that it was not salty. She opened her eyes as she raised her head, her whiskers dripping and turning the pool into ripples. As the pool settled she saw not one cat, but two.

"I thought you said, 'good riddance,'?" Jay asked.

Pepper growled, "I'm not here to help you, but I'm sorry for your kits. So I'll make sure you don't make any mouse-brained decisions."

Jay dipped her head, accepting the insult and the help graciously- since it would be helpful to have a cat that knew the area- and turned her face back to the line of trees that were a little closer now. "I need to find a safe home with shelter, food, and water. I thought I'd fine that on the beach since my mother said she once lived there, but I'm not so certain anymore."

"It's difficult to raise young there," Pepper agreed. "My only kit, I lost in a storm like the one yesterday. She was much younger than you but I know she had more sense in one paw than you have in your head."

"Speaking of paws," Jay mewed, looking at Pepper's front paw that she held awkwardly, leaning off of it.

Pepper rolled her eyes, "Let's talk on the way, I'm as hungry as you are."

The two she-cats walked side by side. Had anyone seen them they would have had little room to doubt that this was a mother and a daughter. The pelt color was the same- a smoky dark gray with a hint of iridescent blue- and their eyes were the same color- deep, dark blue so that one may be tricked to think they were black. Even their bodies were similar, they were both short- by comparison to most cats- had rounder heads and rounder paws- though Pepper's features were much more so than Jay's.

The last thing that divided them was age, Pepper had a few silver hairs speckling her muzzle while Jay's smooth young limbs had not yet grown to their full size or reached their highest strength- being only twelve moons old.

But if the two cats noticed their similarities, they didn't speak of it. Jay didn't ask out of respect of privacy, and the fact that she simply had no interest in such things. Pepper's reasons were less easy to determine since her guarded gaze remained unhappily locked on the line of trees that towered over them as the sun passed its highest point.

"Do you always go so far for food?" Jay asked as she stepped under the shade and sat down, catching her breath from the stifling heat.

"No, I can usually catch something in the bushes around the clifftop," Pepper mewed. "But you aren't going to find a home in those shabby bushes, so we had to come here." Pepper narrowed her eyes up at the trees that blocked out much of the sunlight and curled her lip in disgust. "But a kit won't learn to breathe in a place like this."

"I grew up in an even thicker forest than this," Jay mewed, looking around. Although there were lots of trees, the ferns and bushes remained exclusively around the trunks of the trees, leaving the space wide open to travel through. She actually liked it more.

"I wouldn't mind living here," she decided, "For a while at least. I'm sure I'll get tired of it eventually."

"Is that why you left your first home?" Pepper asked, padding forward and sniffing at a clump of marigold.

"Part of the reason. I'm going to go hunt now," Jay mewed, turning to the forest in search of some kind of morsel to feast upon.

Her ears pricked as the scent of rabbit reached her. _I haven't had a rabbit in a long time..._ But she was nervous about spending time on a rabbit when there was no cover to use to sneak up. Deciding not to bother, she searched and found a vole and chaffinch to devour and ate them up, taking time to groom herself afterward until she was crisp and clean.

Heading back to where she'd last seen Pepper, she paused as she saw three figures standing through the trees. Jay approached slowly, drawing in their scents and recognizing only Pepper's. The two figures were tall black she-cats that stood a whole head taller than Pepper. They both had amber eyes, though not quite the same shade and although they looked similar, Jay wouldn't bet that they were related.

"Jay! I found you some guides for around the forest," Pepper called and Jay hastened to reach them.

The two black she-cats glanced between the shorter gray she-cats and Pepper gave them a stern look. "We'll look around the forest with you to see if we can find you a home and then we'll be on our way," the first black she-cat mewed curtly, her amber eyes were darker, had more of a brown hint.

"Yeah, we have something to do with... Pepper," the other black cat mewed, her amber eyes were brighter, they had more of an orange tint.

Jay nodded, "I want it to be close to water and somewhere in this forest. A good solid den, or at least a place with the capacity to have one."

The black cats nodded and set out, leading them around. There was only one tiny stream that wound through this part of the forest, and there was no good place for a den along it. By dusk Jay was tired and called it a day. They ate and spent the night in the forest together.

The next morning the black she-cat with the amber-brown eyes woke her. "We need to get an early start, we'll be heading through other cats' territory today so we want to get through before they wake up."

"Alright," she agreed, letting the two black she-cats take the lead while she followed behind with Pepper. They traveled swiftly in silence through the leafy trees and open grass. Spotted sunshine started appearing as dawn ascended and the gulleys and clefts in the ground became pools of shadows.

Jay watched the three strange cats she had found herself surrounded by and wondered at them. Just because she was quiet didn't mean she hadn't noticed. All three of them hated each other. Pepper looked at them with a glazed look of anger and the two taller she-cats shot each other hostile glances while disdainful looks were shot back at Pepper.

By sun-high they had passed unseen through the rogue cats territory and settled down for a break by the stream which babbled along beside them. When the four of them had caught some prey and settled down to eat it together in tense silence Jay finished her meal first and paused to stroke her whiskers.

"Actually, I don't think you ever told me your names," she mewed, looking at the black she-cats.

They stared at her in surprise and Jay noticed that amber-brown she-cat was older than the other black cat, a few silver hairs spotting her muzzle. _She's probably as old as Pepper._ "We've been traveling for two days together and you never knew our names?!" the younger black she-cat hissed. She looked young, but not as young as Jay, perhaps the same age as her older siblings.

"You never told me and I never thought to ask," Jay mewed simply, staring her straight in the eye."It was not necessary for me to know it, but it would be improper to go on traveling without knowing your names," Jay added.

The younger black she-cat rolled her eyes, snorting and turned away. The older black cat glared at her and then turned to Jay, "My name is Raven, that is Amelia," the she-cat mewed, nodding at the younger she-cat.

Jay nodded, turning back to her washing. She didn't care to betray that she had grown up learning those names. It didn't matter anyways, they would help her find a home and then they'd be on their way.

Pepper rose to her paws and ordered them off, so they set out again and as they crossed once more into rogue territory Jay noticed that all three of them tensed up, a grim determination settled upon their shoulders. Amelia led them, her sharp eyes guiding them on a long and twisting path away from the stream and back to it.

"They're tracking us," Amelia growled, pausing at a little rise to look back. Although there was little undergrowth, the trees were so full and leafy that the distance was quickly swallowed by shadows whenthe sun was at an angle.

Jay looked around, "The sun is going down," she mewed.

"It'll be harder for them to find us at night," Raven mewed.

"It'll be harder for us to see them at night," Pepper growled.

"Let's keep moving, if we move fast we can get out of their territory by midnight," Amelia snapped, guiding the cats hastily through the woods.

Jay's paws ached and her month was dry, she wished they were still by the stream. Her slightly rounded belly seemed to add to her uncomfortableness as nausea knocked into her along with exhaustion. However she was- having passed her warrior assessment- a warrior. She kept quiet and trotted along dutifully until the pitch-blackness told her that the new moon was nearing its peak.

"There's the border line," Raven whispered, her black pelt lost in the darkness.

Jay paused and looked over her shoulder as the three sprinted for the border. Weren't these rogues they were dealing with? What kind of game were they playing... Jay trotted after her companions and found them flopping down near a pool of water. "Let's rest for now," Pepper mewed, sounding as exhausted as Jay felt.

The expectant mother crouched and drank until her thirst was quenched and then she sat back as the others came forward for their fill. She sat with her ears pricked, her eyes searching the flat darkness. Was that a crunch she heard? A faint wild smell reached her. Prey, or predator? It was impossible to tell in the darkness. Her traveling comrades were already fast asleep, exhausted by the long days trek. However, Jay was younger then all of them.

She rose to her paws and quietly started stalking back the border. "You shouldn't do something so reckless," a voice hissed in her ear.

She didn't flinch, turning to meet Amelia's bright amber eyes that flashed dimly. "Neither should you," Jay responded.

Amelia snickered, "I promise you I'm a much better fighter than you, and ruthless. I have nothing to worry about."

"Pepper hates these cats," Jay mewed, padding forward. "I'd like to do her a favor for all she's done for me."

"How did you know she hated them?" Amelia asked, sounding a little curious.

"I just noticed a few things, and it isn't difficult to put it together," Jay mewed, thinking of how Pepper would pause and look around, her lip curling in disgust. "By the way, why do you look so young? The way your eyes move and how you take command... Besides your temper you feel older than both Pepper and Raven," Jay mewed.

Amelia was quiet, following her as she sought the invisible enemies. "My father gave something precious to me once and I was given a gift. Or perhaps, it is more of a curse," Amelia mewed.

"You don't have to tell me," Jay mewed, sensing the grave hesitation in Amelia's tone.

"I won't. I just liked how observant you are. It isn't every day I find a young cat whose head isn't filled with thistledown," Amelia mewed.

"The cats are straight ahead, hiding in wait to ambush us," Jay mewed.

"I noticed, do you have a plan?" Amelia asked.

"Since you're the spy out of the two of us, you sneak around and surprise them. There are five of them so you want to knock out at least two of them first while I get their scout that's coming toward me. Then we meet up and get the last two," Jay mewed.

"You want to do it quietly?" Amelia asked, moving away.

"As quietly as possible, I wouldn't want to wake the others," Jay mewed.

"Jay, are we killing them or just knocking them out of action?"

"Your decision, not mine," she answered, crouching down to get upwind of the scout.

"What will you do?" Amelia asked.

"I don't know yet. But it's time to get moving," Jay mewed, abandoning Amelia as she streaked through the dark. The scout never noticed her. Jay leaped on her back, her weight falling upon the thin cat's shoulders and forcing the scout's head into the ground.

It was over in a second, the blow had been hard enough to knock the cat out and Jay left with little blood on her paws. She lifted her head and scented the air, the sharp preying instinct dawning upon her, a wild rush it was, one which the scent of blood intensified. Amelia has struck.

Jay raced forward, the startled cries guiding her and her whiskers doing the rest as she moved lithely through the woods. Bounding down a gully she leaped for one of the remaining cats that was engaged in combat with Amelia.

Her claws hit the neck and she felt around for the hollow between the should blades that every creature had on its neck and dug her claws into that, twisting sharply as she did so. There was a snap and a pop and the snarling creature she was perched upon convulsed and crumpled to the ground.

Jay paused, her heart beating erratically as she shook the blood from her claws. The only sound was silence. "Amelia, did you finish your part?"

"Of course," the she-cat mewed through a yawn, padding up to her, her paw steps sploshing in something and splashing the liquid on Jay's legs. But she didn't flinch, there was a reason why she didn't fit in with the Clans. "I can't believe these cats are the marauders that have been terrorizing the other rogues, they're pretty pathetic."

Jay prodded a limp bunch of fur, "There are probably more of them and they do it by overwhelming with numbers," she mewed. "But that takes care of the nits on our back, let's go back to the others, I'm tired," Jay mewed, turning back to where the border lay.

Amelia followed her, humming cheerfully. "I didn't think you'd really kill them," the she-cat mewed.

Jay shrugged in the darkness, "I only killed one. They really weren't that strong. Besides, there's something about a fight that I really can't stand," Jay mewed.

"And that would be?" Amelia asked, sounding almost giddy.

"Letting your enemy get away just to attack you another day. There's nothing more frustrating then a futile battle," Jay mewed.

Amelia agreed and the two she-cats reached where Pepper and Raven were sleeping, unaware of their activities. The two younger cats curled down together and fell asleep instantly. When the sun rose the next morning, Pepper and Raven stared in surprise to see their two colleagues curled up together in a ball of of purring fur, the light gleaming on their contented faces and glistening off their blood spattered pelts.

* * *

Raven and Pepper didn't speak a word to the younger two she-cats about the matter. When they rose they only ordered them to clean their fur and then they moved out, putting more space between them and the rogue territory before stopping to hunt, even though the threat had been eliminated.

"Jay, did you notice Pepper this morning?" Amelia asked.

"She seemed pretty unhappy about what we did," Jay mewed. They were trailing after the older cats, keeping up a steady pace through the silent forest.

"Did you know who those cats were that we attacked?" Amelia asked.

"No, and I don't really care to know," Jay mewed.

"You don't seem to care to know a lot," Amelia grumbled.

"I don't need to know everything about a cat to fight him. And I prefer to know even less when I kill him," Jay mewed.

"Seems pretty cowardly," Amelia declared.

Jay shrugged, "That's just how I am. For whatever you know, you're responsible. So I'm happy knowing as little as possible. Or at least, not allowing others to be aware of how much I know." With this she gave Amelia a glazed glare and the fellow she-cat dropped the conversation.

Not another word was spoken until dusk when, at long last, they came to the end of the forest. "We didn't find anywhere at all for a home," Jay sighed.

Raven shrugged, "All the good places are already taken up, but this is as far as we go. We let you accompany us this far, but you have to continue on your own," the black she-cat mewed.

Jay looked at her coolly. This had been planned the entire time. The two black she-cats had known all along there was nowhere to make a home. As she'd expected, they and Pepper had come here for their own reasons and she'd only been allowed to accompany them through dangerous territory thanks to Pepper's persuasion.

Without a word she stepped out from underneath the woods, looking out at the land ahead. Tall green grass waved, as tall as her shoulders as the new-leaf season deepened. It was pretty bare, open to the sky with a few scrubby patches of trees trembling along the river that ran out from the woods through the hills.

Far in the distance a little to the north east lay a palace of glimmering lights and hard angles. "That's Twolegplace, you want to avoid that," Amelia mewed, seeing her eye the place. Jay nodded, having heard of the place before. Back by the lake, she'd heard that if you went to the top of the rise behind the Horseplace you could see the Twolegplace far in the distance to the south east. _So now I have a general idea about where I am._

Back even further to the north east was something that caught her eye, a tall long range of peaks that silhouetted itself in a hazy pattern against the sky. Faded purple and blue against the darkening dome overhead. She knew those were the mountains.

"Good luck with your fight," Jay mewed, starting off from the cats. Raven and Pepper flinched in surprise and Amelia smiled.

"So you knew all along, huh?" Amelia asked.

Jay looked back over her shoulder at the three figures that collected shadows, "I had a rough idea when those cats we attacked were waiting to ambush us. If they just wanted to drive us out, they would have challenged us outright, wouldn't they? And you aren't all as conspicuous as you may want to be," Jay pointedly looked at Pepper.

Pepper met her gaze levelly. "I didn't want you to get involved is all. They'll probably catch up with us sometime to night, so you better put some good distance between us if you don't want the risk of dying."

Jay turned forward again, "I wasn't planning on it. So, goodbye. Maybe we'll meet again in the land of the living." She crested a hill and disappeared from their sight.

Shaking her head she followed the river until she reached a small cluster of trees. She wasn't that far away from the edge of the woods. But she was out of sight or smelling range with the weak breeze that blew. However, if they were loud enough, she'd hear. And this was the obvious escape route. _We were being tracked by at least eight cats, they won't stand a chance._

She caught a vole and scarfed it down, curling down on the slightly damp moss underneath a leafy green willow tree that veiled the vicinity beneath it. For a moment, she wondered exactly why they were fighting, that was the only thing she hadn't been able to figure out. She knew that something happened and they were going to fight, but what had happened she was drawing a blank on. _Well, if they get rid of the rogues, then I can have their former territory, right? Or maybe I don't want to live in woods after all._

Curling down to wait she dozed until midnight, the faint starlight shedding a silver glimmer on the river that ran swiftly beside the willow like a restless snake. Just past midnight the first screeches of battle rocketed over the hills to her.

She positioned herself by the river, on a stone cliff over the narrow strip of beach where the trail ran, the sheer stone- probably four tail-lengths tall- on one side and the swift river on the other. Rocking a few of the precariously placed boulders she chose three that were slightly bigger than her and sat down to wait.

Just as she'd anticipated, four cats streaked along the bank, flecks of blood flying from their wounds and the light of flight in their eyes. Even Amelia ran, scowling, in retreat. A pack of seven less injured rogues trailed them. Jay sighed, waiting for them to draw nearer.

Only Amelia seemed to have noticed her and had broken from the trail, giving a spurt of seed to reach her before Pepper and the others did. "We going to block the path and leap on them from above?" Amelia whispered in her ear, her breathing heavy and irregular.

"Blocking? That wasn't my original intent, but it will be the effect, I suppose," Jay mewed.

Amelia's eyes glittered with delight and she nodded, understanding what she was saying and as her three comrades dashed beneath them they put their shoulders against the rocks, Jay holding Amelia back just a slight bit longer before they toppled down the boulders with perfect timing.

The rogues screeched in terror as the three bigger boulders fell, taking smaller stones and age-old dirt along with them. Jay waited for the dust to settle in the dark before she frowned, "We only took out four of them," she mewed in disappointment.

"No, five," Amelia mewed, nodding to the rogue in the front who had managed to avoid the crushing the rocks, only his tail was trapped and he scrabbled at the ground, his claws scratching over the rocks as he tried in vain to free himself.

The two unscathed rogues who had been lucky enough to be slow had turned and fled, not bothering to check on their colleagues. "Humph, rogues," Jay scoffed, jumping down beside the trapped rogue. As Amelia went to find her friends Jay interrogated the rogue for her missing information and then she coldly kept her promise of freeing the rogues' tail.

But she'd anticipated that he'd attack her, his flattened tail whipping through the air. And she'd torn out his throat before he could touch her. She ignored the blood that splashed across her chest and she passed him, her paws splashing in his blood as he gave his final convulses. _The poor fox-heart, I didn't even care enough to know his name._

She then scaled the cliff and padded to where Amelia and the rest had gathered beneath the willow tree she had been resting beneath. "Jay! Didn't I tell you to get far away?" Pepper scolded, but her eyes were bright with contentment as she brushed up against a dark red and orange tom with merry green eyes.

Jay shrugged, "I didn't say I would. Besides, I knew you wouldn't stand a chance in a fight and I have nothing better to do."

"How about finding a home before your kits arrive?" Raven growled sternly, but even she seemed to be in a better mood.

Jay waved her tail, pertinently sitting down and wrapping her tail over her paws as she faced the four cats. "So you're Pepper's mate?" she asked, looking at the tom.

"Pepper?" he looked confused and Pepper whispered something in his ear. Whatever she said, it cleared things up and he nodded vigorously. "Yes, she is," he mewed happily.

"I'm surprised you were given the job as spy among the rogues, I thought Amelia was much better suited to that job," Jay mewed dubiously.

"I was the only one left that hadn't been seen by them, so I had to do it," the tom mewed.

"And what is your name?" Jay asked, this was the last piece of the puzzle.

"Needlepine," the tom mewed unhesitatingly, and Pepper groaned.

Jay smirked at her, Pepper's secret was uncovered and she knew it. "Anyways, I guess I do need to get back to finding a home. So stay safe," Jay mewed, getting up.

"Wait!" Needlepine mewed, stepping in her path, "You helped us out and it isn't safe to go into strange territory in the dark. You should stay with us until morning, Have a good rest and a good meal," he mewed.

"I'm not going to say no," Jay murmured. She was still tired and her hunger was coming back, though it could wait till morning.

"Then I'll keep watch and you can all get some rest," Amelia mewed cheerfully, leaving the willow tree and pacing around it. Jay curled down immediately on the ground where she stood. Raven did as well, yawning and giving her bloody pelt a few licks until she settled down and slept.

Pepper and Needlepine curled up together, tending to each others wounds and Jay pricked her ears in their direction, listening to their soft murmurs. "It's good to have you with me again," Pepper mewed.

"Same with you. But that cat... who is she?" Needlepine asked.

"She's a rogue who I found drowning in the ocean a couple days ago. It was the day before we had to set out so I brought her along, the stupid cat can't even take care of herself. I thought we might be lucky and find her a home in the woods to ditch her at but no such luck. If you want to work for a moon doing rough work you could make your own shelter by the stream, but she doesn't have that kind of time," Pepper mewed.

"Why doesn't she have time? She's a young cat and green-leaf is just starting," Needlepine mewed.

Pepper sighed, "I swear, you're always so dense. She's expecting kits." Needlepine expressed his shock that such a young cat was having kits all alone.

"It isn't like it's a new thing or anything. I was probably that age with my first litter, or younger, and I was traveling around too," Pepper mewed irritably.

"But you were in a special circumstance," Needlepine mewed softly and he whispered a few things Jay didn't catch.

"Anyways, she seems pretty restless. I wouldn't be surprised if she wandered around until she kitted. We need to find her a home, or tell her where she can find a home. Do you have any ideas?" Pepper asked.

"How about sending her to the Clans?" Needlepine suggested.

"No, even though Raven told us that the black cats and Pinefur were defeated by Scorch... I already tried to send her back to where she came from and she refused. She won't be going back to the Clans," Pepper mewed.

Jay stiffened, so Pepper knew more about her then she'd let on as well... "Back?" Needlepine mewed, "She was a Clan cat? Do you think she knew Scorch?" the older tom asked hopefully.

"Ask her yourself," Pepper mewed, "I haven't asked anyways. But I get the feeling that she did."

"I'll have to ask before she leaves tomorrow," Needlepine mewed with a yawn. "But let's put this trouble out of our minds. The rogues are defeated and we can live in peace again."

"Yes," Pepper murmured, "In peace."

They fell asleep and Jay listened to their soft breathing, finding the rhythm harmonious to her own and sleeping soundly until the first mornings light.

* * *

The morning light woke Jay just before it had reached the horizon, the first rays sending cream light streaking across the deep blue sky. She sat up and stretched, shaking the dew from her pelt and smoothing down her fur with a few licks.

Her fur was tingling and her whiskers wouldn't stop twitching. What was causing her so much excitement? She could taste it in the air, she really could. The breeze ran fast and clear from the north east and she left the willow tree, stepping over Amelia who had fallen asleep during guard duty, and came to the top of a hill.

Red glowed on gray and she could clearly see the pink mountain peaks against the dark sky. Magnificently cold, carefully clueless, they created a strong picture in her mind of a rough life living by the skin off your nose in valleys of stone. How invigorating. Her heart beat in her ears just thinking about it.

However, the one thing that held her back was her kits. She ran a paw over her belly, she could only just feel a tiny bump. They were growing and she wasn't oblivious to the fierce feelings she had already attached to them. No matter what, she wanted to give them a place that was safe to learn and grow but also sparked creativity and awe into their minds.

The ocean wasn't the place for her, it was too mind-numbing. So overwhelming that she felt her mind would be washed away just by staying there. The forest wasn't the place, too sheltered. These plains weren't the place either, too lonely. But those mountains... maybe when they were older.

"Maybe we could all go over that hill and far away," Jay whispered, hugging her belly tighter.

"The mountains are a dangerous place," Pepper's voice growled from behind her and she turned to see Pepper, Needlepine, and Raven approaching up the hill.

Jay ignored her, "I don't mind danger."

"You should, at least for your kits' sakes. And I promise you, it is no place for a queen," Pepper snarled.

Jay stayed silent, something powerful was pulling at Pepper's voice. She knew what she was talking about. "Are you from there?" Pepper nodded. "Is there any nice place up there? I don't want to strand myself and my kits in a rocky valley."

Pepper seemed reluctant but Raven nudged her. "If you go far to the north along the mountain range there's a pass. It's still tricky for amateurs, but it leads to a valley that is very green during the right seasons. But during the cold seasons the pass gets filled with snow and you have to risk your neck to get out again."

"So I just have to make it there before the snow comes," Jay mused. "Well, I'm off then," she mewed, getting to her paws, eyes fixed on the mountains.

"Wait!" Needlepine trotted up to her side. "I wanted to ask you. If you came from the Clans, do you know a cat named Scorch?" Jay nodded. "How is she doing?" Needlepine asked.

"Well, when I left she was expecting her third litter. Her mate was still the leader of ThunderClan and she seemed happy enough. Of course, that's saying as happy as a blind mother could be," Jay mewed.

"Blind?!" Needlepine looked stunned and Pepper seemed distressed. Even Raven looked shocked.

Amelia trotted up besides her, "I guess I never mentioned. But in the fight with Pinefur, after she dealt the killing blow, he blinded her," the black she-cat mewed. The three cats looked at Amelia severely. But Amelia ignored them and looked at Jay, "It must have been hard to see your mother like that."

Jay shook her head, "I was happy enough and she seemed happy enough. I didn't pry and we were all a family anyways. It didn't matter."

Needlepine was staring at her, dazed. "You're her daughter?"

Jay couldn't decide whether to be amused or annoyed. She went to stand by Pepper. "Rainstone and I are practically twins, don't tell me you didn't notice."

Rainstone flinched, "You knew my real name?"

Jay shrugged, "Not at first, but it was easy to guess after awhile. Your lame paw and how alike we look gave away that you are the mother of my mother, Rainstone."

Rainstone dropped her gaze, "Did she talk about us?"

Jay saw for a moment that Rainstone, despite trying not to care, still desperately missed her long-lost daughter. Jay touched her shoulder gently, "She named my brother after you," Jay mewed warmly. "She never forgot and neither did we. In fact, even though she can't travel anymore, I know having you two visit her would be a dream come true for her."

Rainstone lifted her head and met Needlepine's gaze. "Then that's just what we'll do."

"I'll go with you," Raven mewed, stepping next to them, "I'd like to see how the little furball is doing," the black she-cat mewed, a hint of warmth coming into her gaze.

"And I'll go with Jay," Amelia announced. Jay jumped in shock and the three others glared at her warningly. Amelia insolently smirked at them, standing beside Jay and wrapping her tail around Jay's neck. "She's the most interesting cat I've seen in a while."

Rainstone shook her head, "Jay, I'd almost say you'd be safer going alone than with that cat."

"I agree," Raven added. "I don't trust a cat who stays the same age for forever."

Amelia laughed and Jay shook her off, "I'm happy to have you along, but don't think you're going to be in charge," Jay mewed with a glint in her eye.

Amelia's eyes narrowed and a playful look played across her face, "The thought never even crossed my mind."

"Good luck on your journey!" Jay called to the trio, starting to turn away. Then she stopped and faced Rainstone, touching muzzles with her gently and breathing in her scent as if it were her mother's, "Goodbye, I loved meeting you."

Rainstone purred- the first and last time Jay would ever hear it- "I'm happy I got to meet you too, if even for a short while. But, Jay," Rainstone backed away, looking at her more seriously. "Over that hill and far away may be where you want to go, but it might not be where you want to stay. It's dangerous there, with cats even more ruthless than Amelia. You'll have to keep your wits about you if you want to survive."

Jay nodded, "I'll do that, for sure. And if it isn't where I want to stay, I'll just seek a new hill to climb and a new far away to find."


	4. Passes

"I never asked, but why exactly were you guys fighting those rogues?" Jay asked as she finished a meal, staring over the pile of bones to where Amelia lay stretched out on her belly, rubbing her head against the soft grass.

The black she-cat opened one eye halfway, "Why the curiosity now? It's all over," she yawned, resting her chin on her black paws.

"It was the only thing I couldn't figure out and it bothers me that I don't know. I guessed that they were messing with other cats in the area, but why did you four decide to attack them, and why was Needlepine a spy?" Jay mewed, unsheathing her claws to clean them.

"Well, I can't speak for the others on why exactly they wanted to stand up to those rogues. But I'm personally always ready for a fight," Amelia mewed. "As for why Needlepine was a spy, he was more or less scouting out exactly what they were doing. Our suspicions about what they were doing was right too."

"And that would be?" Jay urged, a little annoyed at how slow Amelia was going.

Amelia shrugged, "They were kitnapping kittens in the area. That was how they grew in numbers so quickly," the black cat explained. "I guess it was something Rainstone and the others really wanted to stop so they took drastic measures."

"It seemed like you all knew each other pretty well, did you only just get together for this?" Jay mewed, laying down as well.

"I'd been hanging out around Raven- to her displeasure- for a couple of seasons since we were acquaintances in the past. And Raven and Rainstone knew each other from way back when as well. So we all knew each other to begin with and then Rainstone came up with the plan to get rid of these rogues and came to us with it. We agreed to work together and Needlepine went undercover. On the day we were to set out Rainstone shows up with you, telling us to call her Pepper. And you know the rest. Just a little interruption to daily life," Amelia yawned.

Jay hummed and went silent. Here, nestled between the green hills as the sun sank behind the horizon, the fight of three days ago felt pretty distant. She wondered where Rainstone was right now, they probably weren't close to the Clans yet, but they'd be getting closer every day. At the very least, now her family would know she was alive and well, plus they'd be distracted by Rainstone's unexpected visit to think about going after her. She could just imagine her mother, her ruffled red and black flank rising and falling contentedly, curled up with Rainstone and Needlepine.

"Tomorrow it looks like we'll leave the hills and the territory will get pretty flat," Amelia commented, looking out where the hills stopped their advance and the ground became as flat as the smooth side of a river stone.

"But the river continues," Jay mewed, they'd been traveling along the river for an easy access to water. This had brought them into conflict with several loners who had smartly built their home by the river and had been hostile at the encroachment upon their isolation. However, thanks to Jay's smooth talking, they'd gotten through without having to unsheathe their claws.

"I thought you liked fighting," Amelia had said.

"I don't mind it. But it is stupid to fight over something so meaningless especially when we're travelling," Jay had answered.

Amelia stood up, interrupting her thoughts. "We should get some sleep, in a couple of days we'll reach the mountains and then we'll need all our strength."

Jay agreed, the hazy mountains were taking a stronger shape with each passing day. Since they were moving at an angle to the north east, their approach was delayed, but they did moved closer- slowly and steadily. The weather had been pleasant, the sun warmed their pelts during the day and they rested in the shade during the hottest part, but every night it cooled down so that they had slept comfortably during their journey.

And this night was no different as the cool air flowed through the grass, waving it to and fro across the plains and over the hills. Amelia made no sound until morning, sleeping soundly. But Jay found herself restless with sleep hard to find.

It wasn't that she wasn't tired- she was exhausted from the day of traveling. It wasn't that she was uncomfortable- the soft grass seemed like the best made nest to her tired muscles. It was that she was terrified, or, not so much as terrified as haunted by her own memories. Distance didn't change her guilt and time didn't steal the memories away.

Her dreams, when she did dream, were dark and sent her heartbeat skyrocketing in her chest as the memories pounded themselves through, even into her subconscious. Light was a joyous site, a hazy line of daylight rising from behind the mountains and outlining the gray peaks with clarity against the vacant, everlasting sky.

Jay rose long before Amelia and busied herself with hunting, and for another day she pushed her past into the back of her mind as she went about distracting herself with task upon task. As her belly grew increasingly rounder Jay found herself more ravenous than ever before, but with the traveling she expected that she wasn't getting nearly enough food.

For example, she only managed to find one squirrel that morning and when she finished her meal and began her morning wash, she was painfully aware that even though her belly continued growing, her ribs were showing more every day and her shoulders and legs were slim and fragile looking.

"You don't look like you slept well," Amelia yawned, rising from her peaceful sleep.

"You don't sound sorry about it," Jay mewed, finishing cleaning her belly and turning to her back.

"Well, it isn't like I don't care, since we are traveling together. But I find it difficult to be sympathetic of anything less than death," Amelia mewed, grinning so that her lip curled up to show her row of fangs.

"Go eat, then we can get moving," Jay ordered, ignoring the difficult she-cat's words. But the black cat had already trotted off, her head and tail high as she enjoyed the energy that came from a good night's rest. Jay watched her enviously, Amelia was far more well-fed than her and her fur remained glossy even as Jay's dulled like that of an elder.

When Amelia had eaten they started off again, leaving the hills behind and crossing field upon field of tall green grass that rose over the tops of their heads. Luckily the mountains were a steadfast guide that rose high above the grass and led them in the right direction.

The only problem was that they left the river behind as they veered away in a wide arc away from the the Twolegplace and were left without a constant source of water. Amelia didn't seem to mind too much, but Jay quickly felt the loss heavily.

It hadn't rained since the storm the day she'd first met Rainstone, so there were no pool left under the green-leaf sun and since they were traveling in unknown territory, there was no telling when they'd next find a place of water. The anxiety seemed to add to her desire for a drink.

Jay investigated every little strange feature in the field, if there was a clump of bushes or a lone tree she'd investigate to see if there was a pool feeding the plant. Amelia watched her with eyes light with amusement as all her endeavors proved themselves futile.

When the sun set Jay still hadn't found any water and she was distressed at the thought of not having any water for who knew how long. She couldn't even hunt and just sat at the place they'd made their temporary resting spot, staring blankly at the ground while Amelia hunted for herself.

When the black she-cat returned and saw the expectant mother staring longingly at the dry ground as if willing water to appear, she shrugged to herself and went to Jay. "I heard, while I was out hunting, a spring just a little ways that way," Amelia mewed, nodding in the direction of the mountains that now rose steeply to their right.

Jay didn't bother to argue that Amelia had hunted in the exact opposite direction, she was so desperate for water she couldn't ignore a possibility and tottered to her paws, heading in the direction pointed out. A sweeter joy than she'd ever experienced before rose inside of her as- after some wandering- she heard the playful bubbling of a spring and found it rising underneath a rock in the field, filling a small hollow in the ground with water.

She drank the delicious water and relished its refreshing coldness. She stayed beside the spring until midnight, wandering away only once to catch some prey for herself and then returning, drinking her full every time until she felt comfortable to leave it to return to Amelia.

The black she-cat appeared to already be asleep when she returned and Jay looked at the content expression on her face. Her heart was filled with gratitude and although she knew she would never thank Amelia face to face, she could do it to a sleeping face.

Bending down by the resting cat's ear, she whispered a gruff, "Thank you," and then flopped down away from her, not noticing the playful amber eyes that watched her.

* * *

The next few days were oddly quiet between the two she-cats. As they traveled, the looming mountains growing larger to their right as they traveled almost parallel to the massive formation, hardly a word was exchanged between them.

Thanks to a refreshing rain shower, water was no longer difficult to find and they continued to forge through the abandoned fields. On their sixth day of travel together, while they rested in the shade of a hill just after sun-high, Amelia turned to Jay. "Don't you think it's odd?"

Jay, who had been dozing and was unprepared for a question, couldn't come up with a fitting answer and just shook her head. "That we haven't come across a single cat, or creature, besides prey?" Amelia pressed.

Jay shrugged, "Nothing would want to live in these fields except mice, in my opinion. Too open and there's no shelter or reliable water source. I don't think it's very odd."

Amelia snorted and turned away, "Maybe. But I find this emptiness strange."

Jay yawned, "Well, I don't mind being alone. It's more relaxing this way. But if you're that unnerved by it, I'm sure there's some cat living in that forest ahead. Which is good because I can't imagine the pass is that much further away," the gray she-cat mewed, getting to her paws and shaking scraps of grass from her fur.

"It'll be nice to be under trees again," Amelia mewed, "Cats aren't meant to be so exposed. We stalk our prey in the shadows, silent and deadly."

"Quit being morbid and get moving or I'll leave you behind," Jay mewed, starting off again at a trot. Her belly was full and the sun was warm. She kept her gaze fixed on the line of dark trees that they were approaching. The sun moved as steadily across the sky as they moved across the ground and they reached the trees before the sun had set.

"I can smell cat-scent," Amelia growled, her black fur lifting along her shoulders.

Jay narrowed her eyes, "You were just complaining that we hadn't seen any cat in awhile, and now you're complaining about finding cats? Gosh, make up your mind," Jay sighed, stepping across the scent border, her paws crunching against the leaf-molded ground.

"This is a pretty thick forest," Amelia muttered, stepping carefully around a patch of nettle.

"It's no worse than ThunderClan's," Jay mewed. She wasn't in love with forests, but the thick leaf covering above her head and the rich green undergrowth crowding in around her was familiar and filled her with a type of warmth. _I wonder how things are going back home..._

"Get down!" Amelia hissed, disappearing into a clump of ferns. Jay dropped to her belly and skulked around to the shadowy side of a tree trunk, peering around and sniffing the air. A rustle of leaves alerted her to a small, sleek black she-cat who slipped through the greenery like a passing shadow. Her dark green eyes flitted to and fro and her pelt rippled as if she sensed something was amiss but couldn't find anything wrong. _Use your nose, mouse-brain._

Behind the black she-cat came a dainty pale silver she-cat with bright blue eyes, although this she-cat stepped quickly with high strides, she was a silent glimmer of mist that drifted after the shadow. Jay looked toward the ferns and caught Amelia's eye, giving a curt nod.

Circling silently behind the cautious she-cats they moved forward just as quietly until they stood behind the two rogues who were looking around. The black she-cat caught sight of them first, standing behind them silently,and jumped, cuing in her friend to what was happening and they both whirled around until the four she-cats were face-to-face with each other.

"Calm down," Jay ordered, seeing them unsheathe their claws. Her voice had the chill of ice and they slowly obeyed her, Amelia looked at her impressively. "We're only passing through. However, I would like to ask you for two things," Jay more demanded than asked.

The silver she-cat snarled, "And what might that be?"

Jay glared at her impertinent tone, then bowed her head, "My apologies, I've been rude. My name is Jay, my friend is Amelia," she introduced them.

The black she-cat watched them sullenly, "I'm Night, this is Silver," the black she-cat grumbled, matching their courtesy.

"Our pleasure to meet you, I'm sure," Jay mewed. "Now, back to what we require. First, we want safe passage through these woods. I assume this is your territory? And second, we need some direction as to where we are headed. You see, we are searching for a pass through the mountains," Jay explained.

Night and Silver exchanged a quick glance, "We've never been into the mountains. And you'd be better off staying away too," Silver warned.

"If you've never been there, as you say, how can you truly judge that?" Amelia asked, her lips curling disdainfully.

Jay shot Amelia a quick glare. "From your tone, do you know someone from the mountains that we may ask about this?" the gray she-cat asked politely, to make for Amelia's rude behavior.

Night looked her up and down quickly, her eyes dwelling a moment on her slightly rounded belly and thin sides. "If you promise not to cause trouble," the she-cat agreed hesitantly, "I can take you to Leaf."

Silver's fur rippled but she didn't argue with her comrade and just nodded, "But if you make any trouble, any at all, we won't hesitate to drive you out," the silver cat bared her fangs warningly before she turned with her head high and led them through the forest, Night bringing up the rear behind them.

The trail twisted and wound as all forest paths do in order to take the easiest pass through the foliage and Jay had a difficult time keeping up, used to the flat fields that offered no resistance to the traveler. Deep in the woods the cat scent became heavier and Jay was aware that the path was growing larger and more trodden down as if it were used more often.

She was well prepared when they ducked beneath a low hanging ivy curtain stretched between two tall boulders that stood as solemn sentries in never-ending guard duty. The camp lay just beyond, the ground falling away at her paws into a large bowl that was almost as large as the ThunderClan camp.

The sides were perfectly rounded and just as steep all the way around with a tall wall of brambles to line the tops. Sleek green grass coated the sides but the bottom of the bowl was dirt with patches of moss breaking through the ground. There appeared to be only one den, situated opposite of the entrance and made between two crumpled stone columns- not dissimilar to the stone sentries at the entrance. Pine branches, lichen, moss, ivy, and bracken created the roof over the space between the two broken stones. The stones, she estimated, stood about as high as her head and were three cats long, the one on the left being half a tail-length longer but the other was that much taller- giving the den a crooked look despite being so soundly made.

Jay eyed the construction admiringly. The stones were nearly four fox-lengths apart, allowing over a dozen cats to shelter beneath the giant den in bad weather and she was even more impressed by how they had kept the roof up. Using the ingenious idea of having sticks support the middle- kept up straight by the weight of the roof- the roof did not cave in much and should one half of it be destroyed, they'd still have the other.

"Wait here," Silver snapped, leading them down and leaving them in the middle of the clearing before heading toward the den. Jay had been aware of the numerous cats in the clearing, but she'd been too busy studying the den to look at them. Amelia, however, seemed bored with everything and had resorted to watching the flitting dance of a butterfly.

Jay's fur rippled as she realized something strange. They were all she-cats. Not a single tom was among the cats and, subsequently, there were no kits. In fact, she'd be willing to bet that she was the youngest cat there. And aside from that, there only seemed to be six cats in the camp aside from her and Amelia. _Why would that be?_

The tension in her shoulders only got worse. She studied the cats and they studied her, both sides unable to come to some conclusive agreement about each other. Amelia alone seemed satisfied to ignore the entire situation and sat down, cleaning the mud from her paws after the walk through the forest.

Silver was gone maybe two minutes, but it was the longest two minutes of Jay's life as she waited for the pale she-cat to return. And when she did, she was leading a cream tabby she-cat with white paws, chest, and tail-tip. "Who are you?" the tabby mewed sternly, addressing her and Amelia. Her stony green eyes weren't quite glaring, but not in the least bit hospitable.

However, there was something about her that Jay instantly liked and she quickly recognized the shortness of height and the roundness in the paws and head as well as the large ears. This was a mountain cat and the fierceness in her gaze that would curb the spirit of most cats, inflamed hers.

"My name is Jay, and this is Amelia," she added, nodding at the black she-cat who refused to greet the cat.

"What do you want from us?" Leaf continued, her gaze studied Amelia before returning to her. This was a cautious cat who wouldn't overlook any detail, no use in trying to deceive her.

"We know that there is a pass that will allow us to get into the mountains, we wanted to know if you knew of it, and if so, where it lies," Jay mewed.

Leaf's eyes flashed, "Even if I should tell you, I promise you the mountains are no place to explore out of curiosity. And especially not with kits."

"With all respect to your wisdom," Jay broke in with a note of annoyance, "That is my decision. Not yours."

Leaf narrowed her eyes, "The mountains will destroy a foolish young cat such as yourself."

"Then I will be destroyed, but not before I see things for myself," Jay mewed firmly.

Leaf considered the stubborn young cat in front of her. The tabby could clearly see that Jay wasn't going to be persuaded. But such a skinny, weak creature would never survive in the palace of stone, and neither would her kits. But what right did she have to withhold such information?

"I will tell you," Leaf relented, "But your death and the death of your kits are on your own paws, not my own."

Jay dipped her head, "Fair enough." She listened eagerly, now she'd finally get to see the mountains. Finally go to her new- if temporary- home. See what lay beyond that gray facade that had loomed in front of them for so long.

"The pass is due west of here. If you travel toward the mountains you will come to the foothills where it will be easy to see the pass from the ground as long as you do not approach it in the morning or at night. However," Leaf hesitated. "You would be very lucky to get through the pass."

"And why would that be?" Amelia asked curtly.

"At the moment, a group of rogues hold control over the pass. They are ruthless and won't let any cat through unless they gather together 30 pieces of prey, delivered all at once to the boss" Leaf mewed.

"30?!" Jay exclaimed, exchanging a shocked glance with Amelia. That would take days for the two of them to hunt, and by then, the first half of the catch would be spoiled.

"Because of that, we- who are also trying to return to the mountains- have been stuck here for several moons," Leaf mewed, her tail whipping behind her, her eyes glaring angrily over the tops of the trees.

Jay was silent, sharing a perplexed look with Amelia. The black she-cat was frowning, muttering something to herself. "How many rogues are there holding the pass?" the black she-cat asked.

"They have at least ten constantly guarding both ends of the path, and then five more for rotation and for escort. A number much too large for us to handle on our own," Leaf mewed, shaking her head, defeated.

"Are they good at fighting?" Jay asked, already understanding what Amelia was thinking.

Leaf shrugged, "Even if they aren't, we don't all know how to fight either."

"Well, who does know how to fight?" Amelia snapped, looking around. Night stepped forward along with a dark gray she-cat with black stripes and a bright ginger she-cat.

"Dark, Spark, and I know how to fight," Night mewed, nodding first to the gray tabby and then to the ginger.

Amelia frowned, "With this we have the numbers to take down one side, but should one rogue get away and warn the other side... we couldn't take down fifteen cats alone," the black she-cat murmured.

Jay tilted her head, considering. "Do you know of any other cat interested in going to the mountains?" she asked.

Silver shook her head, "No one else is stupid enough to go there right now."

Jay frowned, "Then we'll have to wait," she sighed.

"For what?" Leaf asked suspiciously.

"We have to wait until we can train the remaining cats here, and then we can take those rogues down," Amelia explained. "Though I feel like this is going to be harder than we think," she muttered to Jay.

Jay rested her tail over Amelia's shoulders for a moment. "I do believe you accompanied me for things like this?"

Amelia showed her fangs, "As long as I can fight as hard as I can, I'll be happy to help train these pathetic scraps of fur."

Jay rolled her eyes and turned back to the she-cats. "Do we have a deal then? We help train you, then you help us take down those rogues, and we all go into the mountains together?"

Leaf narrowed her eyes and looked around at each she-cat, waiting a long time for each hesitant nod and then faced them. "If you teach us to fight, then you have our word that we'll help you. But only until we get through the pass."

Jay smirked and Amelia lifted her head cockily, "That's enough for us, let's do this."


	5. Facade

"Are you absolutely sure this is the only solution to our problem?" Jay groaned as Amelia asked the troublesome question again.

Bone-tired and weary from training, Jay was trudging back to the camp with a trail of equally weary cats behind her. Only Amelia had the strength to continue pestering her. "Amelia, can we talk about this later?" she sighed, hoping without hope that Amelia would wait until she had a good nights sleep to continue the haggling.

"No," Amelia growled, and all mocking playfulness had left her voice, leaving it so startling cold that Jay had to look at her. Amelia's amber eyes were narrowed to slits and she looked infuriatingly calm.

Jay sighed again but knew there was no escaping this now. She stepped off the trail and waved Leaf on with her tail, letting the she-cat lead the rest back to camp. With any luck, Night, Spark, and Dark had managed to catch enough food for everyone while they were out training all day long.

Getting up before dawn, Jay had started the day by waking all the cats and giving strict orders for them to eat and drink before they headed out. She then asked the three rouges- who already knew how to fight- to spend their day hunting for the rest of them. Surprisingly, they had agreed without complaint and Jay led the rest on a march through the forest.

They left the forest and entered the fields that Jay and Amelia had spent so much time crossing and for the remainder of the day, under the beaming sun, they'd worked and trained. Although the cats had been able to take breaks while Jay and Amelia worked with the others, the gray she-cat hadn't had a moment to catch her breath. And right now, she didn't even know how she had the strength to stay upright, her whole body felt heavier than a rock and her vision had long since become blurry, double images messing with her line of perception.

"Jay, is it possible for us to get through the pass without these cats?" Amelia growled, sitting down on a patch of soft grass. Jay sat down next to her, wishing the ground to still be warm, but the sun had set and the last breath of light still allowed the forest to glow gray.

The dark she-cat sighed. The thought had crossed her mind more than once during that one exhausting day. The cats had been complaining and none of them had a talent for the art of fighting. Well, maybe Silver had the potential, but Leaf and Cherry were sorry cases. They were both older and didn't have any of the strength, speed, or grace necessary in a battle.

"Do have another idea?" Jay asked with a resigned sigh.

Amelia looked away, her eyes watching the bats flit over the trees, their tiny shadows outlined against the purple-gray sky. "We could try to sneak past these cats, I don't imagine a pass you can see from the hills would be so narrow."

Jay shook her head, "I already thought of that, but it's too risky. There are enough cats that they could have a lookout stationed in enough places that they can see everything, and if we do sneak past the front, then we still have to get past the middle and the end. If we knew the territory well, then it'd be another situation entirely, but we don't know what mountain terrain is like in general, and not a clue on this pass in particular. We can't risk it."

Amelia growled, lashing her tail, "I think we could pull it off, but if you're not willing..."

"I'm not," Jay reaffirmed.

"Then how about forgetting the pass and climbing up a different way? I know the pass is the easiest way, but there must be more than one way in and out of these mountains. We're wasting time and effort with these cats, they don't have any potential and we still have to test the other rogues fighting power. I'm not even optimistic about their abilities," Amelia scowled.

Jay turned away. Clearly the situation wasn't ideal, even though she had been hopeful that they could make it into the mountains before her kits came, at this rate, they might have to stay where they were until next new-leaf. _No! I'm so close, I can't stay here for so long!_

Jay stiffened, feeling the first kick in her belly. The kits were growing bigger and a fierce surge of anxiety and will swept through her, almost dizzying in its intensity. Feeling trapped and helpless, Jay looked at Amelia. "You're right, this isn't going to work. We need to get into those mountains as soon as possible and we can't wait for these useless cats to find their strength."

Amelia nodded, her amber eyes brightening, "What's the plan? Do we ditch them tonight?"

But Jay shook her head, getting to her paws and pacing painfully on her sore paws, "Don't do anything mean to them, we're still going to need their help, but we're going to use them in a different way," she explained, thinking hard for some way out of this problem. _Come on, think harder! Both your mother and mentor were the greatest tacticians in ThunderClan, they wouldn't have had so much trouble!_

Scowling, she stopped and looked up, searching for an answer. Her eyes rested on the bats, dipping and diving for bugs so eagerly that they filled the sky with their small movements, she was so focused on the bunch that she almost missed the lone bat that was performing the same dance below the tree tops. Pleasure flowed through her as she recognized the answer to her problem. It was an old trick used in ThunderClan, and only rarely used at that, but just maybe it'd work this once.

"I've got it," Jay mewed, turning to Amelia.

The black she-cat smiled, as if she'd known all along that the gray cat would come up with a plan. "What do you need me to do?"

Jay grinned at her readiness to do anything. "First off, I'm going to need you to do nothing. I'll take the cats out to 'train' alone tomorrow. And while I'm gone you can test the others attack power, test it anyway you like, and if its satisfactory, then we can proceed. If it isn't, get it to that point," Jay mewed.

Amelia nodded and Jay sighed, her heart light with hope again. Turning away from the black she-cat, she skipped back onto the path. "Come on, I need a meal, a drink, and a good night's sleep."

* * *

For Jay, sleep was out of reach. Even though she was sheltered by the marvelous den, she was uncomfortable sleeping in such close proximity with strangers. Amelia slept in the other section apart from her and she was stuck sleeping alone with three of the she-cats.

Although she'd already spent an entire day helping them, Jay had only managed to come to one conclusion. They were using her. Of course, she was using them too, but the odds of one to three put them on top of who would win this gamble. _Not that I haven't played this game before but... never with so much to lose._ She hugged her belly closer.

Jay closed her eyes, she'd just have to hope for the best. She was fairly certain she could count on these cats until they got through the pass but, then what? They'd be up in the mountains in a strange place, perfectly helpless to Leaf who clearly knew a thing or too about where they were going. They'd be in trouble.

 _At least, that's what they'll think,_ Jay smiled and gave a little purr as she pulled her tail around. Her thoughts drifted from the present day back along that dismal path of memories. The noises, scents, tastes, and sensations she had once known drifted and mingled creating broken pictures in her mind- wilder than a dream and more exhilarating than real life. The nightly adventure had begun for her.

Although she'd had little sleep, Jay was the first to awaken and feasted upon the prey left over from the night before. She sat and groomed her fur as the others woke up, sniffing the air and judging what the weather would be like.

The air was heavy and she could already feel the pressure building in the air, there would be a storm today. But whether it hit them or missed them she couldn't determine. "Alright, you three ready?" Jay asked. Leaf was cleaning her fur, Cherry- a pale cream she-cat with green, unassuming eyes- was nibbling a mouse, and Silver was already glowering at her.

"If today is anything like yesterday, I'll quit this whole thing," the pale gray she-cat snarled warningly.

Jay purred and trotted up to the she-cat, bending down near her pale ear, "If you quit, I will kill you."

Silver flinched, looking at her scornfully but with a wary glaze in her eyes, "Like I'd believed a hollow threat like that."

Jay grinned down at her, lifting her lips so that her fangs gleamed. "Keep up with that attitude and we'll see how hollow you are, on the inside. Now get going, back to where we were yesterday," Jay purred again, poking Silver harshly with a claw, nearly breaking the skin. "You two follow after us as quick as you can," she added, bounding up the steep sided pit to exit the camp.

Silver had broken into a run, leaving a trail of snapped twigs and stirred up leaves in her wake. Jay followed at a collected canter, enjoying the chirping of birds and the flashing sunlight that deceptively flickered from one side to the next in lacy dapples.

Jay strayed off the trail, pausing to look around before ducking through a crown of holly leaves to a screened area. "I was getting tired of waiting," Amelia growled.

"Well, sorry for inconveniencing you," Jay mewed, not feeling sorry at all. "But did you have a chance last night to scout that area without any cat noticing you?"

Amelia snorted, "Who do you think I am? And yes, I think everything is set. As soon as you get these cats in order we can head out."

"Good, I'll try to work things out today, and make sure you test those other three or else it'll take longer," Jay ordered.

Amelia waved her tail, stepping out of the screened area. "Just worry about your own job. Those three you have are a nest of problems for sure." Jay, knowing that the black she-ca wasn't wrong, just sighed and quietly stepped out of the leaf screened area and back onto the path.

Trotting along, Leaf and Cherry soon came up from behind, passing her with a quick nod as they ran the last few meters ahead of her to the edge of the forest. "Good," Jay mewed, stepping out from under the cool shade and into the vast, open space that was laid bare to the sweltering heat of the day. "We're all here. Today we're going to do something different than yesterday," Jay mewed, moving some sticks and rocks around that Amelia had left for her.

"Consider this log the starting point," Jay mewed, nodding to a what could be considered a thin log or a thick stick. "And over here," Jay mewed, running for a few moments to where she dropped a much smaller stick, "This is the turn back point. You three are going to start today by running as fast as you can between these two points. The second fastest cat will have to do it two more times and the slowest will have to do it four times over, while the winner won't have to redo it," Jay mewed.

The three cats looked at her despairingly. The last thing any of them wanted to do in this heat was run for a long time and only one of them could win. "Well?" Jay snapped, glaring at the cats, "What are you waiting for? Get going!" She bared her fangs effectively and the three lined up, even Leaf seemed rather nervous of her today.

Jay sat and watched the three cats race back and forth. As she'd expected, Silver was the fastest of the three, her lithe frame was similar to a WindClan cat but Jay noted with scorn that she was barely as quick as a flat-footed RiverClan cat.

Leaf finished only a nose ahead of Cherry and the almost chubby cream she-cat looked at the length in despair. "Leaf, do it two more times, Cherry, four more times. And Leaf, if you finish a lap after Cherry, then you have to do it four times," Jay barked, signaling Silver to come over to her.

As the two older she-cats continued the race, Silver flounced over to her and grinned smugly. "I won, so do I get to go back to the camp?"

Jay eyed her coldly, this cat had talent, but she was the most indolent of the three. "No, in fact, because you won, you get to do more."

"How is that fair?" Silver hissed.

Jay stood up to her full length, and even though they were the same height, she tiled her head up and glared downward, "A cat who is capable of more is responsible for more. Those two cats, although not old, are past the prime point for growing their talent. You have the most flexibility right now and I intend to make use of it. Of course, if you want to quit, I can help you out with that," Jay growled, unsheathing her claws.

Silver glanced downward, but her blue eyes were free of fear and full of anger. "If you threaten me again, I promise you that these cats won't help you with your stupid plans," Silver snarled.

Jay was stirred by the intense emotion swirling in the bright blue eyes and she nearly grinned, this cat did have a lot of potential. "I won't cause trouble if you won't cause trouble," Jay mewed amiably. Turning to shout at the still racing she-cats, "That's good you two! Let's move on!"

That day they focused more on speed, stamina, footing, and agility than they did on actual fighting moves. However, Jay felt that these cats were ready for the part they had to play and as the purple light of twilight settled over the field, she called the day to an end.

Once again she started back to the camp, her legs and paws aching and her head heavy on her shoulders. The others were as exhausted as she and silence reigned on the trip back to camp. Outside the camp Amelia waited and Jay stepped aside, letting the others go on in as she sat down in front of Amelia. "I hope your day was as successful as mine," Amelia purred, her amber eyes glinting happily.

Jay purred and nodded. "They're ready, and the others?"

Amelia nodded, "Night is a little slow since she's so small, but she'll do fine in the position that we have for her."

Jay grinned, their plan was coming together. "Do we want to wait a day and get our strength back or move out tomorrow?"

"I think we should move out as soon as possible. If we can set everything up tomorrow, then we can rest until evening and strike then," Amelia mewed. Jay agreed and the two of them went into the camp, "I'll tell them the plan, if you want, you look like you're about to keel over," Amelia snickered.

Jay rolled her eyes, "Thanks for your observation. But if you could cover the explanations I'd be grateful, there's nothing I hate more than 'explaining' things," she sighed, turning to the scanty pile of fresh-kill and choosing the fattest piece- which happened to be a chubby vole- and tore at it ravenously, gulping it down so quickly that she didn't even have time to relish its taste.

The gray she-cat yawned and stretched, arching her back and plucking at the dirty moss with her claws. She could see Amelia talking with the cats, giving them their orders. Apprehension settled over Jay as she watched, the dark glances and weary whispers. Discord in their hearts would mean discord in battle.

Jay sighed, that couldn't be helped now. They were strangers and they were putting their lives on the line for each other. _At least, that's what it appears to be._ She almost felt giddy enough to smile but she frowned instead. She knew that what lay ahead would be no easy task to pull off.

The silent spider stalks at night, stirring the soundless fears of sleeping minds before the battle. But Jay was already wide awake. She watches her companions, who are by no means friends, roll and writhe in their nests. Her mind works on its own, calculating exactly how the battle will go, while at the same time recognizing the fact that nothing happens as you think it will.

But she stays awake anyways, too weary to sleep. She watches Amelia rise at midnight and go off on her own, doing- as Jay supposes- what all spies do. And finally, with the spider gone, Jay finds some repose in sleep and enjoys the mediocre comfort until dawn.

A few clouds dotted the sky as sunrise painted the bleak gray world of pre-dawn with multiple hues of pink, gold, and crystal blue. The birds raise their songs to the heavens but not a word is spoken in the camp. Every cat knows with hard certainty exactly what they have to do, so there is no need for noise as each cat faces themselves.

Jay ignored every cat and washed herself in the shadow of the den. Spark padded over to her and dropped a leftover mouse at her paws. Jay accepted it with a grateful nod, noticing that every other cat was picking meagerly at their own meals. _Have they ever been in a fight before?_ The thought vaguely crossed her mind before when she was training the cats before, but surely no cat could live as long as them without getting into a scuffle or two? They must not have ever planned a raid on a group of cats before.

Even Amelia is quiet, resting with her eyes half closed with her paws tucked under her chest. Jay watched her, wondering if she enjoyed the thick feeling of nervousness that laid heavily upon the rogue cats. When every cat finished eating what they can, Jay stands up and walks over to Amelia, nodding at her.

"Alright, today, we go to the mountains," Jay mewed, turning to the cats. They nod, their heavy-lidded eyes shows their fear, but there's a grim determination that is typical of all cats set on a purpose. Leaf appears to take the lead, but it is really Amelia who guides the cats through the forest and toward the mountains.

Jay walks at the back of the group, keeping her eyes and ears wide open for anything out of the ordinary. After awhile of walking through the forest, they leave the trees behind and enter into a short stretch of flat ground covered with short grass that ends abruptly as the path takes a sharp incline and the grass changes into loose gravel and stone.

The cats stop and stared, the mountains stretched up over their heads and almost seemed to arch over them, nearly vertical in height and composed of the grayest stone ever seen before. Their sharp pointed peaks pierced the clouds and a type of unmovable silence was cast from them.

It was a silence so loud and immense that it seemed to smother Jay, her flame of spirit compressed and increased in the confines of her soul. _This is it, this is where I'm meant to be_. Her heart beat rose to a frightening speed and she could feel herself trembling as she took another step. "Are you scared?" Jay had been so focused that she hadn't even noticed that Spark had dropped back to her side.

She shook her head, unable to find the words to explain what she was feeling. "I'm okay," she whispered back.

"The mountains can be terrifying, but I love them," Spark sighed.

Jay blinked, "You're from the mountains?" Spark nodded. "I thought only Leaf was from the mountains," Jay mewed.

Spark shook her head, "Leaf, Dark, and myself are from the mountains. We came down to find some cats to help us with a problem and that's how we met the others, but we've been stuck here for moons since these cats took control of the pass. I can't wait to go home, I miss my family" the orange she-cat sighed.

Jay nodded awkwardly, feeling the first uncomfortable prickling in her stomach. But there was no turning back now. As Leaf had said, the pass was easy to see from the ground. It looked as if the mountains had been split, a long fissure between two peaks, a dark cavern that rose in height the closer it go to the peaks. Flecks of green permeated the gray and outlined the path and Jay, with a skillful eye, spotted the three distinct spots that Amelia had mentioned to her.

"Alright, we'll wait here until night time. Hunt and rest while you can," Amelia advised, stopping on the sloping path in the shelter of a gray boulder. The cats immediately scattered, even though it was only sun-high, they raced about to find some prey as if it would be their last meal in moons.

Jay first took a break in the shade of the rock, sitting silently side-by-side with Amelia to rest from the journey. By the time Cherry and Leaf came back, she went out and easily caught a shrew scuffling among the many rocks and also stopped by a puddle to drink her fill, enjoying her meal away from every cat. She preferred the silence to their anxious murmurings. And she had plenty of time to stare up and admire the impressive grandeur of the mountains.

The day seemed to pass too quickly and as she watched and admired the mountains, she saw the peaks start to turn orange as the glow of sunset reflected upon the stone spires. With a heavy sigh, she trekked back to where every cat waited and in silence Amelia gathered them up and they started toward the attack position up the trail.

"Remember," Jay growled, "The goal is to get behind them, since the cat on the higher ground has the advantage." Every cat nodded, fear and ferocity mingling in their gazes.

Jay shared a discreet look with Amelia and they nodded. "We did some scouting and found that the cats live in a den under that boulder," Jay mewed, nodding to a dark rock that stretched out of the mountain side. "Amelia, Silver, and I are going to go up and flush them out down here where you'll be waiting, as they come you'll separate and come back together once they rush past you so that you have the higher ground. When they are defeated, we will move as quickly through the pass as possible and when we come to the other side, well, we'll see how it works out," Jay mewed.

The cats nodded, shifting from paw to paw in anxiety. Jay moved into the lead now, her wide paws easily navigating the uneven terrain as they climbed off the trail and took a wide arc so that any guard sitting inside the cave wouldn't see them, Amelia and Silver staying right on her tail. "Why am I in your group?" Silver grumbled.

"Silence," Amelia hissed under her breath. The pale gray she-cat continued muttering under her breath but Jay ignored her, focusing on finding the easiest route through the rocks so that they would come up on the boulder with such an element of surprise that they would run down to where the others waited.

When they reached the rock, Jay found it short enough that she could leap on the top and she began searching. "What are you looking for?" Amelia hissed.

"An alternate exit, only a moron would sleep in a den with only one way in and out," Jay hissed back. Silver waved her tail and Jay trotted over to her, the silver she-cat pointed with her tail at a small hole where the mountain and rock met. Jay nodded approvingly, "We'll enter through here and block it so they can only go out the main exit, which is angled to where our friends wait. When you get in, make as much noise as you can," Jay whispered her last orders and jumped down into the dark hole.

The breathing of many cats stifled the air and she curled her nose at the overwhelming cat scent, only a faint light glowed from the main entrance and she could only see the silhouettes of a few sleeping cats and one guard. When Silver and Amelia were down the hole as well, Jay took a deep breath and let out a blood-curdling screech, not dissimilar to the screech of a fox.

Silver and Amelia imitated her sound until the cave seemed to shake with the ringing. Jay scrunched up her eyes painfully, shivering inside at the ghastly sound. But it served its purpose, before she had need to draw another breath the den had been deserted and she curled her tail in triumph.

"Alright," she mewed, looking at the other two and catching Amelia's eye. "Time for the next part of the plan."

Amelia nodded and Silver was already dashing for the entrance, the cries of battle resounding off the mountainside. Jay chased after the gray she-cat but skidded to a halt just outside the cave, looking down at the sight below her.

Cats clashed against each other in a furious whirlwind of wind, sky, and claws. The rogue she-cats were poorly outnumbered and outmatched and Silver's appearance did little to increase the odds. "Those cats are done for," Amelia mewed, commenting on the battle.

Jay sighed, "It would have taken moons to train them well enough to take these cats on. Oh well, I do wish them the best," she mewed, turning her back on them and looking up into the pass.

"Let's go before they notice us," Amelia mewed, dashing up the slope- a silent, deadly shadow.

Jay followed her, sure-pawed on the loose gravel and paused just before she got to where the path twisted into the shadow of the mountains, looking back at the now distant cats. The fight was already over. The she-cats were surrounded by snarling, spitting rogue cats. Night lay outstretched in the huddle, Jay couldn't even see for sure if she was still breathing, but not one of the she-cats had gotten away without some serious wound.

Silver's blue gaze lifted from the vicious faces surrounding her, as if drawn, and met Jay's eyes. Jay stared back, unblinking. A look of shock was on Silver's pretty pale face but it quickly changed to disgust, a look of such disdain that even Jay felt a little disgraced. Not that it wasn't like she could go back, the line she had crossed just now, she'd crossed a dozen times before and she'd cross it another score in the future.

The appearance of a noble, helpful warrior? Daughter of the two cats that were renowned in all the Clans? What a joke. She had never been a warrior, never been a hero; she had left before she could tarnish those names or be tarnished by them. Jay was nothing more than a troublesome apprentice who hadn't fit in and made a few mistakes common to youth, and few less common to normal cats. She knew that the path she was on led to nowhere good, and yet, she skipped along it lightly with a purr in her throat and a song in her heart. What a miserably foolish falsehood she lived.

That's what Amelia thought, that's how she viewed the dark gray she-cat who turned her dark eyes away from the gruesome scene she had herself created. Jay climbed the path to meet the black she-cat, looking unmoved, but with a little less life in her eyes and a little less heart in her voice. Amelia smiled, she knew- and she'd known all along- that this was her perfect revenge against a tiny black and red kit. And all she had to do was sit back and watch.

"Are you ready?" Amelia purred softly as the she-cat passed by her, a ghost of melancholy in her gaze.

Jay looked at her, dark eyes glowing- not from life- but from the pleasantry of a living nightmare, "I'm ready." Amelia grinned and followed the dark gray cat but there was something she didn't understand. Jay wasn't living a nightmare, the nightmare was in her head.


	6. Games

The mountains were far different from the genial fields and forests down below. They were rough on a cat's paws and vicious to the mind. The desolate mountainside cast the pass in abject darkness all day and night, chilling the stone and the white-washed bones that lined the path, gruesome decorations.

Jay, however, reveled in the absence of life and the scent of death. She struck out upon the crumbling path with the fierceness of a tiger, stalking along it with the confidence that she could not be challenged and the exuberance of an adventurer on uncrossed territory.

For there was no evidence that any creature of any sort had inhabited the gray slabs of stones and uneven path, besides the bones that proved their demise. The path of the pass had, undoubtedly, been formed by an ancient river that at one time carried off loads of rocks and created a steep, pebbly path which had once been the stream bed of the ancient mountain river.

Amelia's opinion was that in heavy rains it would still carry water down from the heights, but it was so dry that Jay doubted it. The sky remained predominantly blue the first day, with varied clouds throughout the day passing through the narrow strip of sky that persisted over the pass.

The trip into the mountains was, altogether, mundane. Jay and Amelia made little time for sleeping and eating, wishing to make it through enemy territory as quickly as possible. And when they did sleep, they took turns standing guard.

Hunting was a more difficult problem. Once they got into the shadow of the mountainside, the area became abandoned. Their one endeavor had only the fruitless luck of a singular, measly shrew, which Amelia turned her nose up at with disgust, allowing Jay to scarf it down in a few heartbeats.

The air must have slowly become colder, for it was noticeably different by the time they had nearly reached the summit of the pass. Here, the trail fell away on one side and a long precipice ran down from the trail that was now only two tail-lengths wide.

Jay crept along the edge, enchanted by the idea of an invisible paw dragging at her fur as she leaned over the ledge where the shadows slept. She could see no bottom to the steep drop off and when she kicked a pebble over the edge, she listened to it clatter down the side, but there was no resounding drop, it simply vanished from her range of hearing.

Amelia suggested that she follow it to see where it had gone, but Jay was more than happy to let that mystery be for now. Jay was, however, irked that they had met no cats, as Leaf had warned them about. They found no cats, not even a lingering scent, though they must have been near the end of the pass by then.

At dusk on the second day, they reached the crest of the pass where they passed in between two mountain peaks that rose like towers on either side of them. The ground became level once more, though the mountain peaks still rose high above their head, gleaming in the last forgotten rays of sunset. Jay shivered, the warmth of the sun had vanished, leaving the stone as cold as ice and the breeze nippy on her nose.

The little mesa that the path went through was covered in scrubby, tough grass that wasn't soft at all and very sparse while little patches of snow still remained in the deepest shadows, despite it being nearly green-leaf down in the lowlands. Jay trotted forward with Amelia following cautiously behind, determined to see this new. unfriendly world she had entered in upon.

Jay could see that the path dropped off into a steep descent where the mesa ended, and she could see the high mountain peaks far in the distance. Which meant, as she was willing to conclude before she reached the edge, that there was a valley just ahead.

When Jay reached the edge, she could only stand and stare, her heartbeat escalating in unbound excitement. Although the mesa she stood upon was disagreeable and ugly in its coarseness, if she had any doubts about this being a good home for her, they were all gone like mist in the sun.

The mountains rose sharply against the indigo sky, bleeding red in the last shades of sunset. And they stood, a protective shell around this magnificent land Jay had laid her eyes upon. A lush green valley blanketed in grass, the delicate color of leaf buds, and rich in trees as well as brightly spotted berry bushes.

Small vales and hills filled with flowers of all sorts of colors, misty streams, and hazy paths crisscrossed a network across the valley. The air that flowed up from the valley was warmer and wetter, and she could see that the valley was more sheltered from the desolate wind that blew across the mountain tops.

"That looks far more inviting," Amelia commented, coming to stand beside her, her amber eyes lit with pleasure.

"We should go down at least a ways tonight so that we can sleep out of the open wind," Jay mewed, stepping forward eagerly.

Amelia barred her way with her tail. "You're being careless," the black she-cat growled.

Jay grumbled, "I'm not being careless, I noticed the rogues den, same as you," she defended herself, nodding at the rickety den made by slender sticks and broken cedar branches that was constructed down against the slope at their paws.

"We should wait until dark and go far around them, the wind will blow our scent away up here, but as soon as we start down, our presence will be known," Amelia mewed.

Jay resigned herself with a small sigh. Amelia was right, it was no time to be reckless when they were so close. She sat down upon the uncomfortable ground and fluffed up her fur against the chill breeze, staring at the mountain tops as shadows slowly swallowed the red glow and they became silhouetted points against a deep purple sky where daring stars began appearing.

Jay, feeling melancholy at finally finding her home- if only temporarily- contemplated what those stars meant to her. She'd never had a firm faith in StarClan, but at the same time, she'd never thought that they didn't exist. They were so far away and distant, they had no effect on her life, and she had no effect on theirs.

Just two worlds living side by side but never crossing over.

But right now, they seemed closer then ever, as if welcoming her to a new life. Beckoning her ever closer to the sky and she lifted her nose, breathing in the sharp scent of stone and pine. It was pure bliss to feel that icy wind on her face, the tang of wildness lingering in her nostrils. This would not be a feeling that she would forget.

By now, the shadows had covered the valley and the sky was fairly dark, just the last bit of light lingering in the western sky behind their heads. "Alright, one last journey," Amelia sighed, the black she-cat blended in with the shadows and Jay's own dark pelt was camouflaged as well as they made their way carefully and quietly down the side of the valley, heading in an arched direction to their right so that they avoided the troublesome rogues and remained up against a mountain side.

Down in the valley the air certainly was warmer, though perhaps not as warm or moist as it was outside of the mountains. It was rather dry, in fact, Jay had never known the air to be so clear. Darkness pressed in around them, impeding their vision of more than a few tail-lengths. But the moon's light gleamed silver and pale gray upon the leaves and grass blades, sparkling in lunar elegance. And when they crossed a babbling brook, the half-submerged rocks, their wet sides gleaming silver, turned the stream into a silver dusted trail, as bright as any trail across the shining stars.

Jay, although exhausted from their travels, couldn't contain her excitement and joy as she skipped along after Amelia, purring to herself as she left all guard duties to her black-furred companion and silently congratulated herself on her good decisions that had led her to this place.

Here, in this vast valley open to the sky, she would have room to breathe outside of any laws or regulations and she could raise her kits the way she wished in the abundant freedom this dale offered. It had been such a perilous journey, she was certain she could find a spot to live where she would never have to see another cat again and there would be no worries of badgers- since the lumbering beasts couldn't possibly climb into the mountains- and foxes would probably prefer the foothills as well. The one problem she may face was boredom, but that was easily remedied.

Jay was almost breathless as she trotted along, the stars spinning dazzling bright around her head. This beautiful sanctuary was absolutely perfect for her! It was a feast for the eyes and rich in everything she required to live. But it was more than that. She'd felt it the moment she had laid eyes on this valley. This was her pre-destined home and she wasn't too far from thinking that some invisible power had led her safely here and so quickly.

Although, Jay paused from her ebullient tirade to study the black shoulders of Amelia. Perhaps it wasn't a mysterious force at all, perhaps it was just a cat searching for some closure on a long-opened wound that had turned rancid.

"Hey! You two!" Jay jumped, her heart leaping to her throat. The low hiss or sharp whisper, sounded close to her and she admonished herself for not noticing another cat's approach. But it may not have just been her being careless, even Amelia stiffened and searched the darkness, not as disconcerted as Jay, but evidently puzzled from where the sound came from.

"Who's there?" Jay demanded, her voice strong and confident but hiding a bit of reticence, she did not want to be held up by a strange cat right now. She sniffed the air and pricked her ears, but she could hear only her own soft breathing as well as Amelia's and their own scents, nothing betrayed their stalker.

Movement, however, did at last attract Jay's attention to a recess of shadows under a corpse of trees not more than two tail-lengths from their path. A mystic black cat stepped out of the shadows into the pale moonlight, its long black fur seemed to suck up the moonlight and remained pitch black, the creature didn't make a sound as it moved and a twin pair of ice blue eyes stared out at the two newcomers.

"My name," the cat mewed, "Is Midnight." The cat's voice was clearly female and Jay exchanged a glance with Amelia, moving forward until they stood shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the cat.

"What do you want?" Amelia growled, narrowing her eyes at the cat. Jay sniffed the air and only very faintly could she pick up the she-cat's scent. It was as brisk as the wind and as faint as such, as if seasons of living between rock and sky had scraped bare her scent so that only natural forces could be distinguished.

"I want to warn you," the she-cat growled. "I can tell from your scent that you aren't from around here. And if you were here for the rebellion you wouldn't be alone. This place is going to be consumed by war before long and any observers will just be counted as collateral."

Jay shared another glance with Amelia and than smirked at the she-cat. Though there was no way Midnight could see her expression in the dark, her eyes conveyed the message. "Sounds fun."

* * *

"Mmm~ That was the best sleep I've had in days!" Jay yawned, closing her eyes pleasantly and rolling onto her side so that she could stretch out all four legs.

"Well be careful where you enjoy yourself," a voice snapped.

"Sorry, Pummel," she apologized, waving her tail carelessly at the elder. The gray and white tom glared at her from foggy green eyes and snorted, standing up in his nest to turn and settle down again with his back to her.

Jay watched the elder in amusement, old cats were the same everywhere. She could easily imagine Sunstorm or Applefang doing the exact same thing. Mid morning light lit up the den with golden freshness and Jay basked in its tantalizing rays.

At the moment, she was alone in the dug-out den with Pummel. The reason for why she was here, dozing in a stranger's den, was quite simple really. After meeting Midnight and telling her that war seemed like fun, the she-cat had insisted that she was mad and hustled them to a den not far from where they stood.

The den was quite large, easily capable of situating five cats comfortably and was dug under a rocky bank at the bottom of a hill so that the entrance was a low, long slab like the edge of a roof close to the ground. The feeling of living underground had made Jay uncomfortable at first, but she couldn't deny that the den kept the wind and weather out and the rock heated generously in the sun to produce a warm atmosphere, if a little stifling.

However, things had gotten hectic when they arrived. Apparently, there were usually three elders who lived here. But only one- Pummel- was there when they arrived. Midnight had flown into a frenzy and quickly forgot about her two guests.

By then, Jay was nearly falling asleep on her paws in the warm den and thankfully, Pummel noticed this and ordered her to rest while Midnight set out to search. Amelia- who never seemed to grow weary and was always interested in a crisis- volunteered to accompany their host and they had left not long before dawn; that was how Jay's first night in the mountain valley had ended.

And now it was nearly sun-high of the next day and neither Midnight nor Amelia had returned. Pummel told her not to worry and Jay just flicked her tail. She wasn't worried about those two- she knew Amelia could handle herself and she didn't care about Midnight- she was just a little annoyed that she was left in the den with a cranky elder while Amelia was exploring this marvelous world.

Jay climbed to her paws, whisking her tail up determinedly. "I'm hungry, so I'm going to go hunt," she announced.

Pummel lifted his head to look at her, "Do what you want. But if you come to scent marks, stay well away from them. A little thing like you wouldn't stand a chance against those cats."

Jay bristled a little at being called 'little.' It may have been true back in the Clans, but she had yet to meet a Mountain cat taller than her. Pummel himself was probably a quarter of a mouse-tail shorter than her, though in his prime he probably would have been slightly taller than her.

She'd also observed that he had that curious body that Rainstone had. The one drawback to the elder was that his eyesight was going bad and he was unable to judge things accurately, which was probably the reason for the comment. Jay assured him she'd be careful and then scrambled out of the den, squeezing out with her belly squashed out against the ground as she pulled herself out of the den.

The bountiful scene she'd fancied in her head laid sprawled out before her as she stood up. The wind whipped her whiskers against her face and tore her tail through the air, carrying dandelion fluff from a far-away wish past her. The air itself was clear to the point that it smelled of nothing but stone and sky, a scent that seemed to expand within her chest to take in much more than usual.

She let out a long sigh and, for the first time in perhaps a long time, felt like not doing anything at all. Finding food could wait, finding Amelia could wait, finding a home could wait. Right now, she just wanted to sit and breathe and feel alive.

So that's what Jay did. She sat on the green slope and blissfully waited for each gust of wind to roll up and pass over her. The sun warming her fur and the wind cooling her skin and keeping her purr well alive in her throat. She watched the shadows creep along as the sun passed its peak and observed how the mountains changed colors as clouds rolled over the sky. The branches on the trees swayed gently from side to side and the bushes and scrub brush rattled their branches to add to the melody of the zephyr.

But such enjoyment can not last too long. As the sun hid behind some clouds, three figures attracted her attention from further in the valley, moving steadily and with purpose in her direction. Jay exercised the prudence to vacate the open hillside and sought shelter in some nearby bushes that grew in shadows at the base of the mountain and gave her a full view of the den and slope down to the woods.

As she hid the cats came closer, and from the way they walked with no regard of secrecy, told her that they were comfortable with their surroundings or were confident enough in their skills that they had no need to be wary. Jay decided on the former after a couple more moments of watching.

Two of the cats were elderly, a skinny brown tabby and a fluffy white cat with three black spots. Both walked with the awkward amble of old cats and she could see the sheen of gray on their muzzles even from this distance. It occurred to her that these may be the two missing elders whom Midnight had left in search of, but what confused- and interested- her the most was the cat who was accompanying the two elders.

It was a much younger tom, probably not more than six moons older than herself. He wasn't an impressive size and his muscles were modest but also supple in movement. He was on the taller side, probably a mouse-length or two taller than she was and he moved in a way that was both amiable and commanding. No, she corrected herself, not _commanding, controlling._

The slight difference in wording made her curl her lip slightly as she watched him, his red-orange fur glowing like embers in the golden sunlight and his gray eyes smoldering like ash. The expression he retained, as he walked and talked with the elders was jovial, and Jay could sense his charismatic charm even from where she hid. His eyes often closed happily when he purred and her breathing changed to match the rhythm of his step as she spied on the trio.

When the three reached the den that she had slept in, the orange tom bowed his head and bade what must be goodbye, turning and loping off unhurriedly back the way he had come. Though his words were lost in the roar of the wind, she could hear the tone of his voice and even though she knew it would be sweet and friendly, she nearly was mesmerized by its lingering note. There was little doubt now, in just the short time she'd observed she had learned that this tom was manipulative by nature, and also that he was also exceptional at it. The latter part was the problem.

Jay scowled, wherever there was a manipulator, there was trouble- and not the sort that she enjoyed. A breath on her shoulder sent her heart to her throat and she whipped around, already knowing it was the tom who stood behind her among the bushes.

She backed up a few steps as the tom stared at her pleasantly, his head tilted slightly to one side. She was careful to appear unperturbed, if she showed him that she was ruffled by his sudden appearance he'd have the upper paw the whole confrontation. "Excuse me," the tom mewed, very politely and with an apologetic note in his voice. "But I couldn't help but notice you were spying on us. And I also noticed that I do not actually know who you are, what business do you have with those three kind elders?" the tom mewed, his eyes looking her up and down with a slightly puzzled expression.

Jet scowled to herself, she had been too focused on studying him to think about how the wind had changed or that the bushes waved so wildly that bits of her may have been visible. But she was more disgusted by the fake expression the tom wore- she could clearly see that he created it with the purpose of making her drop her guard.

"Sorry for spying," Jay mewed simply, making sure that her voice was soft and apologetic. She didn't say anything more, after all, it was always the one with more information who won these games. And right now, being new to the area, she was sorely behind him.

The glow in the tom's eyes dimmed, probably in disappointment. "My name is Ash, I'm a friend of Midnight and the elders," he introduced himself.

Jay scowled, now she'd have to introduce herself or it'd be suspicious. Thinking again, the whole exchange was drenched with suspicion by the two of them that it wouldn't hardly matter unless some cat were watching. However, she wasn't about to be unfair. "My name is Jay, those elders allowed me to lodge at their den," she answered reluctantly.

The tom purred, as if oblivious to the nettlesome feeling between the two of them. "A pleasure to meet you, I hope you'll excuse me, I have some things to take care of today," he mewed, dipping his head and turning away.

Jay narrowed her eyes and watched him leave, his tail waving behind him and making it easy to track him until he disappeared into some dip in the distance. With a heavy breath, Jay frowned and turned toward the den where the two elders had long disappeared into.

She paused half-way towards it and headed instead down into a patch of shrubs near where the woods began. Her stomach growled violently as she breathed in the musky scent of prey. Dropping to a delicate crouch, she spotted a mouse and quickly pounced, finishing it off before it could make a squeak. In a similar fashion she caught two more mice and gulped all three down, laying down and rolling in the leaf-molded dirt.

With her hunger appeased, she could focus her worry on the arisen problem. As she laid on her back and stared at the sky she could see his flame-colored fur and gray eyes. That tom, she knew she'd see him again. But what she needed to know was, why? More information, that was what she needed. And she'd have to be smart about it, she couldn't be making dangerous enemies as she got closer to kitting. _I need to know more about that tom and the other powerful cats around here._

With that in mind she rolled onto her paws and listened carefully as Midnight and Amelia padded tiredly by, their paws thumping flatly on the ground. The black she-cats were exhausted by their fruitless search. Jay peered through the bushes and saw them closing in on their den, exclamations of surprise filling the air as they found the elders safe in the den.

With the two able she-cats too tired to worry about her, this was a perfect chance to do some scouting on her own. Striking out in the opposite direction of the den, Jay headed deeper into the valley, keeping to the edge of the woods. She was well-fed and well-rested and had the freedom to act on her own for probably the next day or so.

Her heart lifted and her worries lessened in weight. Ash's game was one she knew well, but it was also one that she had fallen to before. This time, she thought as she stared around at her majestic surroundings- the mighty mountain peaks high over her head, graceful streams, and comely woods- she would not be driven out; she would not lose this game.


	7. Reconnaissance

A dead end.

Jay grumbled under her breath as she settled down to her evening meal. The broad mountainsides of the east were peaked in the russet hues of sunset while the mountainsides of the west were gray with shadows. The sky was taking that turn into violet twilight but still teetered with braids of gold and scarlet flaring out across the heavens.

The air too was turning crisp as the heat of the day leaked out from the rocks that the valley was built enclosed in. Jay fluffed out her fur and flattened her ears to her head as the wind whistled by. Irritation and annoyance battled within her as she crossly tore at her meal, chewing it excessively as she dug her claws into the tough grass and into the packed dirt.

When she had decided to go in search of information she had thought that it'd be easy to enough to draw a conclusion of what was going on by asking just a few cats. But she'd asked dozens and was further back then where she had started! Because now, she had no clear picture of what to do next.

 _Although, I do have a few names to go on._ It seemed there were several prominent figures living in or near the vast valley. First, there was the best known cat, Python- and his lackeys, whose aim seemed fairly straightforward. And then a group of communal cats that lived in a cave with a vibrant cover of ivy, they were known as the Ivy cats and from the several opinions she'd heard, they were mysterious and ill-liked. However, there wasn't much information about them and, as usual, no cat knew a thing, but every cat had an opinion.

There was also a group of ruffians who had been surprisingly quiet as of lately, and Jay was willing to guess they were the cats holding the pass hostage. There was also a cat who had conflicting reports, being called, 'as sly as a snake,' a 'helpful and generous loner,' and, 'a charming folk-cat.'

Jay was convinced that the strange persona was her adversary, Ash. Proving her suspicions that he was a manipulator to some degree, true. There were rumors that he had worked with Python for a long time and rumors that he was a stranger to the mountains and did odd jobs for all the cats around the valley.

How true these rumors were, Jay couldn't say, but she had her doubts about the credibility of anything pertaining to Ash and preferred to think that she knew nothing of him. But now, as the sun went down on her first day of investigating, she couldn't help but feel disappointed with her findings as she curled up on a patch of lichen in the shelter of a briar bush.

 _Tomorrow, things will be better,_ she told herself, but she slept restfully all night long. The creaking of branches over her head and the calls of birds seemed alien to her. The moving shadows disturbed her mind from sleep and the melody of the breeze seemed melancholy as it passed over pinion and rocks.

But dawn did eventually come, calling an end to the nightly noises. Jay had managed a doze at last, but was a light sleeper if anything, and a quiet paw-step was enough to startle her awake.

The thin gray light of early morning and the damp cover of silver mist lingered among the trees, creating a blurry picture for Jay to look out upon as she peered out from under her cover. However, she knew what she had heard and after a few moments of attentive listening, she found the creature moving parallel to her amongst the greenery.

Pushing herself to her paws, she crouched down and moved silently through the tall grass, dew wetting her fur and the ground cool and soft under paw as the fresh scents of morning battled against the fickle scent she hounded upon. Jay tracked the quiet creature, narrowing her eyes as she spotted a white and gray pelt, almost blending in with the mist, but clearly outlined against a thick green holy bush.

Jay followed the cat curiously for a time. It wasn't altogether strange for a cat to be prowling about early in the morning. But this cat wasn't trying to hunt and kept pausing to look around quickly, keeping to the woods where there was more cover.

They were heading deeper into the valley. On the previous day, Jay had kept to the edge, going around the southern wall of the mountains where the trees were sparse and the grass covered ground was commonly mixed with stone. But deeper in the valley, the thin streams crisscrossed frequently and the trees that grew along the edges clumped together to create woods- albeit there were plenty of lush meadows and gaps between the trees.

Now this cat stopped at the base of an old, gnarled oak tree and Jay watched as the gray and white pelt disappeared in a flash. Jay broke off from her stalk and raced for where the cat had been. The ground around the oak was sandy and damp from a spring that ran around it sluggishly and the damp sand sucked at her paws as she walked through it.

Jay frowned, finding it odd that there was no grass growing, or anything for that matter. Just the wet sand that seemed to have the consistency of mud and felt icky on her paws. Looking around, her tail quivered. She'd thought for sure there had been a hole or something that the cat had vanished into. But with all this wet sand, any hole would have been filled up and she was sure that she hadn't seen the cat climb the tree or go around. What was more, the faint cat scent ended where the sand began.

 _Where did it go?_ It wasn't often that Jay was confused, but this time she certainly was. Stepping forward into the sand she gasped as her forelegs sank and she found the sand almost to her chest. Jay felt herself freeze in panic for a second- but only a second- the next she was slowly moving her back legs- which were only just past the paw in sand- to find a firmer hold in the sand.

She grunted as she found a slightly more steady hold and braced herself to pull out. She narrowed her eyes in concentration, _one, two, three, take a deep breath, steady your heart, and pull!_

 _But wait!_ The tiniest of movement attracted her attention away from her pressing task. Just the slightest but of whisker twitch had set her off, but now her eyes were locked onto the gaze of two wide blue eyes that stared at her beseechingly over the sand. The cat's white muzzle was the only thing sticking up, the head tilted back so that only the eyes and muzzle were clear of the sand.

Jay stared at the cat for a moment. Here was the answer to her perplexity, the cat she had followed had become stuck in the sand pit as well. But the cat had clearly stepped in at a worse spot, for the poor creature was already almost completely submerged and had disappeared quite suddenly.

With almost dreamlike slowness, Jay continued pulling herself out of the sand, her legs trembling but standing against the strain as the sand relinquished its hold on her with a loud sucking sound, lamenting the prey that had escaped its clutches.

Now, with her legs covered in a thick paste of sand and water- but nonetheless free- she turned to the cat who was helplessly sinking lower, now only the white muzzle showing where the cat had fallen into the trap. With careful consideration, Jay moved tentatively back into the grass and circled around until she was as close to the cat as she could be without touching the sand.

 _Since the cat disappeared so quickly, the sand must have been fairly firm right before it fell into it._ With that reasoning, Jay stepped in the paw-steps the cat must have taken, and it was indeed rather firm and barely damp. Now at the edge, she could see where the sand seemed to slope down around the ensnared cat, she started the rescue.

Because it was just her, she could not try giving the cat something to help pull itself up, no, she'd have to do it all on her own, and quickly, before the cat was lost forever to the pit. Going back hurriedly, she found a long, stout branch and very awkwardly dragged it by one end back to the sand pit.

Dropping it, she carefully lifted it up right with her forepaws and fed it to the sand, angling it for the cat's body, but not letting it touch until it was almost completely in. Now that the tricky part was over, it was time to see if it had in fact worked.

Gently she started pressing the end that still stuck out over the sand down, exerting more pressure as it became harder to move it. Mouth pressed tight in concentration, Jay put both forelegs on the branch and used her shoulders to press down.

It began to work, the nearly disappeared muzzle became a whole head with eyes closed tight. Working faster, she slowly edged her entire body on the branch and it nearly came level, shoulders and a back becoming visible. Now would be the troublesome part.

Inching carefully down the branch, closer to the dangerous part of the sand, Jay leaned over, neck straining in effort as she closed her mouth on the scruff of the unconscious cat. Her heart beat wildly as the branch began to sink, her added weight making it sink faster than before.

She feared that her paws would be trembling too much to drag the cat out and up the branch, but she found them icily steady and she backed up, her muscles screaming, as paw step by paw step she pulled both herself and the cat clear of the sand pit and dropped it onto the safe green grass beyond. Flopping herself down next to it to recover her breath.

Harsh pants encouraged her to open her eyes and she rolled over to see the rescued cat laying on its back, trembling and staring at the sky. She watched quietly as the cat broke into sporadic and insane laughter. "I'm alive! Why am I alive?"

"Because I rescued you," Jay answered coldly. The cat was a she-cat, sand plastered all over her pelt and her blue eyes were big and unblinking. Her ears seemed too large for her rather petite size, but Jay didn't comment as the she-cat looked at her savior.

Jay remembered the first time she had seen an owl. It had unnerved her the way the head seemed to sink into its shoulders and its eyes stared, seeing far past everything it set its eyes upon. The feeling she got when this cat looked at her was very much the same.

"I suppose you want a thank you," the gray and white she-cat asked shortly.

Jay shook her head, "I'm well aware that you wanted to die. If you hadn't, you would have called out to me."

"Then why bother saving me?" the she-cat asked, in that same flinty cold voice.

Jay stared at her without answering her. She'd rescued the she-cat because she'd recognized this as a cat with influence, from the skill she possessed and they way she walked. And in this way, the cat would owe her something, or she'd owe this cat something- either way, she'd be given contact with this cat. But of course, she couldn't tell her any of that.

The gray and white she-cat looked back at the sky, "You are carrying kits? Is that why?"

Jay inclined her head, "Perhaps."

"It was a very foolish thing to do, as a mother," the she-cat mewed again. Maybe it was Jay's imagination, but the she-cat seemed to be sounding a bit more appreciative, as if recognizing the merit of still being alive.

"If you really want to die, I don't have the energy to save you again," Jay offered, testing the she-cat.

The gray and white cat gave a grumble and rolled to her paws. "You went through the trouble to save me, I may as well stay alive for today. Can you get up?"

In answer, Jay jumped to her paws, shaking herself roughly, but the paste was stuck on her fur and wouldn't be so easily removed. "We can go wash off in a stream," the she-cat mewed, realizing the predicament and padding tiredly in the eastern direction of the old oak. They crossed a short stretch of grass, the sun dancing radiantly in golden rays upon them, and then they came to a stream.

Or maybe it was a small river, it was wider and deeper than the little streams Jay had as of yet seen. She watched as the gray and white she-cat waded into the middle of it, letting the water splash against her legs and around her belly.

Jay shivered, not exactly a fan of water every since she'd been swept into an ocean, not that she'd been very fond of it before then either. She was sure it was cold, from the way the mountains cooled off every night, but she admitted to herself that she'd rather endure a little cold than to wash all the sand off by herself.

So, gritting her teeth, she stepped into the water. Sure enough, it was as cold as ice and lifted all the fur on her spine. Trembling from her ears to the tips of her claws, Jay awkwardly balanced on three paws while she used the fourth to splash water against the sand and wash it off.

After a tedious few minutes, Jay, thoroughly chilled but clean, bounced back onto the bank, shivering in the sunlight as her fur dripped with water. The wind chilled her even more and she shook herself vigorously, sending water spraying out in every direction.

"Hey! Watch it!" a cross mew snapped.

Stopping and looking around, Jay spotted the she-cat she had saved standing with two other cats by the bank of the river, just within range of her shower. "My apologies," Jay mewed, aware that she sounded more curious than sorry.

One of the new cats was another gray and white she-cat with blue eyes, extremely similar to the cat Jay had rescued and she reasoned they must be kin. There was also a tall brown tom with green eyes who owned an air of silent solemnity that Jay felt suited cats of the mountain.

Jay padded back down to the bank and nodded to the two new cats. The she-cat who was similar to her rescuee was different in a few slight ways, one, her blue eyes were more of a sky blue and if one had the countenance of an owl, than this one had that of a rabbit. Round, mellow eyes and an easy-going air with a quiet look of inquisitiveness.

"Who are you?" the she-cat asked politely, her blue eyes sparked with impatience as Jay just stared at them.

"Jay. And you?"

"I am Sky, this is my mate, Twig," Sky mewed, flicking her tail at the solemn tom. Jay dipped her head in greeting, carefully watching the cat she had rescued. The gray and white she-cat stared at Sky unhappily, a bit of veiled hostility was exchanged between the two and Jay found she didn't really care to get into a family dispute.

"Jay, thank you for rescuing my sister. It was silly of her to go out so early on her own," Sky mewed.

The gray and white she-cat snorted, "And how do you know I went out early? We don't live together," the she-cat scowled.

Jay curiously looked back at Sky. "Screech," the Sky used a reasonable tone as she addressed her sister, "We may not live together anymore, but we still share the same valley. You passed by close to where I slept so I went to find you."

Screech glowered at the two cats, being oddly open in expressing her emotion- quite un-owl like. "And why would you go looking for me? We haven't seen each other in moons. And I don't have time to spend for you anyways, I need to get back to the cave," Screech snorted, whipping around and bounding away from the bank, leaving Sky to look after her in frustration.

Jay looked back between the two one last time before running after Screech. She caught up to the she-cat storming angrily through a patch of daises that bloomed in an open meadow. "So that was your sister?" Jay asked, settling in beside the she-cat who was mutinously silent.

"I could have guessed," Jay continued, "You two do look alike. But," she paused and glanced sideways at Screech who was keeping her face apathetic. "I get the feeling you two aren't littermates."

"Why do you say that?" Screech asked, the slight tone of surprise was enough to convince Jay.

"Oh, I just know that there's a certain bond between littermates. I have one myself, so I would know. Even when littermates end up as enemies, there's always something in them that desires things to be different. I didn't get that feeling between you two. Besides, Sky was acting a little bit too bossy," Jay added.

"Exactly!" Screech mewed triumphantly, whipping around to stare at her with those wide eyes. "Just because she's older and our parents are gone, she thinks I have to do what she says. But I'm all grown up now and I can think and take care of myself," the she-cat declared.

Jay inclined her head and decided not to point out that a cat who tried to kill herself had no right to say that. "Of course you can. And someday she'll come to realize this as well, and be grateful for it."

Screech snorted and started moving again, "I don't think so. She only talks with me when she tries to convince to join that group she's in. But I've got my own group now, I don't want to change," even though Screech said that, Jay couldn't help but feel that things weren't so great if she tried to kill herself. _Well, as long as she gives up on the idea for a little bit._

"Which group is your sister in again?" Jay asked casually after a few moments.

Screech kicked at a daisy, "That one with the moon and weird rumors," Screech grumbled, "I left her as soon as she joined when I was still pretty young, so I don't know much about it. But I do remember thinking it was weird."

Jay tilted her head to one side, "So, are you in Python's group?"

Screech nodded, "Yes, I want to help set this valley straight." _But not that much, if you're willing to throw everything away,_ the words were on the tip of Jay's tongue, but she bit them down.

Jay stopped and looked around. The fresh breeze rolling over the graceful hills, bending the delicate flowers and stalwart trees gently, and the tall towers of mountain peaks encircling them in fierce and heartwarming strength. She could understand how a cat could love such a place and want to protect it, however, she just had to ask.

"If that's true, why did you try to die?" Jay asked.

Screech froze, a few paces ahead. "I don't know."

Jay watched Screech continue on, heading for the eastern side of the valley. _You don't know? Or you can't explain?_ She shrugged to herself and turned back, heading west for Midnight's den, it was time to meet up with Amelia again.

As she wandered over the hills, walking alternately in the sun and shade, and hopping over little streams she pondered over what she had learned. So there was a fourth group in the valley? Not just the ivy cats, Python's forces, and the rambunctious ruffians? Or were perhaps these moon cats the ivy cats as well? They seemed just as vague, but Jay got the feeling that Screech would have known the difference between the two.

 _So then there's a lesser known force in the mountains? None of the other cats even mentioned the possibility of another group. So, if power and influence is not their aim, what is it?_ Jay mused for awhile, watching the bees buzz around the brightly colored flowers in the dappled sunshine, scrubby juniper bushes casting a shadow over her.

Her ear twitched at the slight patter of paw steps and she was well aware of his approach this time. Ash passed around the juniper bush, his eyes lighting on her instantly. "Ah! Jay, how surprising it is to meet you here!"

"Indeed," Jay mewed dryly. "We're a bit out of the way here, all the way against the southern mountains." Jay mewed, looking up at the tall, rocky mountain peak that rose abruptly on her left side. "And I admit I didn't think I'd see you so soon by chance," she added, looking back at the orange tom.

"This is a common route I take to get to the western side of the mountains, it avoids going through the middle of the valley where most cats live," Ash mewed.

 _That would make sense, if you lives on the eastern side, but you don't._ Jay held her tongue and stared at him levelly, keeping a mildly pleasant look on her face as he kept one on his. "I heard," Ash began, padding closer to her, "That you've been doing some investigating."

"Word travels fast," Jay mewed. Although she had been certain that he would hear she was gathering information, she hadn't thought he would confront her about it. It was a little unnerving since she had supposed a manipulator like him wouldn't be so forward. _Who is he, really?_

Ash inclined his head, "It does, if you have the right channels. But it seems you've gotten hold of a particularly rare piece of information."

 _So that's what this is about._ "And what would that be?" Jay asked innocently.

Ash's eyes flashed angrily for a moment, before cooling down to their usual gray. "Screech was a little loose-lipped it seems. You should disregard what she said," he mewed, though from his tone, Jay guessed that he didn't imagine she would do as he asked.

"Sorry, but I don't think that will be possible. Of course, if you can shed some more light on the point, I may agree to keep my information to myself," Jay offered reasonably, not that she had any plans to share her information with any cat but Amelia.

Ash considered for a moment, watching a hawk circle around high over there heads. Then he looked at her and sighed, "You are a bit difficult, but I think I could trust you to keep your word. Alright, if you promise silence, I'll tell you all I know about the matter."

Jay nodded her head, and that one simple action brought the two of them into a precarious relationship. The two of them, with no mutual understanding or friendship between them, were entering into an agreement of trust. One that could be easily broken by either party and turn them from unhappy strangers to mortal enemies.

But they entered into it, with little hope that the worst could be avoided. So Ash told her all he knew of the 'moon cats.' He told her a spine-chilling tale of a group of cats that hardly seemed to be mortal, who met by the light of the full moon, giving offerings and reading blood in water as signs sent by the dead and predicting the future. There were also rumors that they kitnapped kits to use as offerings and had as a leader a cat that was not alive at all, but a deceased ghost, bent on destroying the fragile peace in the valley.

Jay listened in silence as Ash finished his story, "I've never actually met any of the cats in the group aside from Sky and Twig," Ash admitted. "And Twig is the only one who is actually in the group, Sky is just allowed to observe and live with them since Twig took her as his mate."

"So you told me what you heard, but what do you think?" Jay asked. Altogether, she was pretty lost on what to think, but she did have some ideas- though another analytical opinion would be much appreciated.

"I didn't promise to tell you that, only what I know. And now you must keep silent," Ash ordered sternly.

Jay dipped her head, "Of course. Now, if you excuse me, I have to be somewhere," she mewed, brushing past him.

Ash didn't turn to watch her go and she didn't look back. "Hey, Jay, I wonder," Ash mewed as she reached the edge of hearing distance. She turned her ears back to hear his last words, "Do you believe in ghosts?"


	8. Ghosts

Did Jay believe in ghosts? Well, that depends on what you consider a ghost. If you are talking about the spirit of a cat long dead that wanders around and haunts cats for apparently no reason, than no, Jay did not believe in ghosts. But if by ghosts you meant lingering memories, dark thoughts that haunted your mind and tore your peace to shreds in empty, restless revenge, than yes, Jay would say that she did believed in ghosts, and if asked why, she would tell you that she had seen them.

These thoughts the dark gray she-cat kept to herself as she stared up at the stone and dirt ceiling of Midnight's den. Hazy light filtered in through the entrance as she lay on her back, surrounded by three elders and two black she-cats.

The night was almost gone, and she closed her eyes with relief. After returning to the den late in the afternoon yesterday, Amelia had pounced upon her, scolding her harshly for wandering around on her own while Midnight nodded gravely in agreement and reaffirmed that she thought there was something wrong with her.

However, Jay had been aware that Amelia didn't really care what she did, she just had to act the part of the two of them being close friends. And she admitted she was a little grateful for the she-cat who had given her prey and sent her to rest early, covering for her in front of the other cats by giving vague excuses for why she had left and returned abruptly.

It had given Jay plenty of time to scrutinize over all the information she had gathered. And plenty of time to consider what her next move should be. The gray she-cat winced as she felt her kits move in her belly, it was such an odd feeling, another creature living within her. But the thought of protecting tiny, frail heartbeats filled her with a surge of excitement, solemn duty, and passionate energy. For now, she had a duty, and a noble one at that, and she was sure she would do it well.

That was all she needed to set her straight. Everything else would only be a means to that end, she'd do whatever she had to to take care of her kits. But she needed to hurry, her kits wouldn't wait on her for forever. So the first thing she needed to do was settle herself in this valley.

Because of the apparent instability of it all, she wanted powerful allies. This, of course, would give her powerful enemies, but if she chose wisely, than she'd end up on the stronger side and no cat would challenge her. _It would even be better if I could spin it so that I'm an ally of every cat..._

She wondered and thought until her paws grew restless. She watched the sky through the thin slab of an entrance and as soon as the first golden sheen spread across the sky she was on her paws and pushing herself out of the stuffy den into the cool morning air.

The sun had not cleared the eastern mountains, but the sky was flushed in lovely shades of pink and gold. It reminded Jay of the soft colors on the first flowers when leaf-bare's cruel grip had been relinquished to the gentle pageant of spring.

The mountains were still cloaked in darkness, hazy blue gray shadows misting their peaks while down in the valley fog lingered, rolling from one patch of dark woods to the next, the lively creeks twisting and turning around it.

Jay took a deep breath and sighed, from this spot on the western mountains she had a fantastic view of the valley and would have probably been quite content to take up refuge nearby to raise her family. But the dark threat lingered in her mind. She couldn't rest her fate on chance, so she would play the games this valley had invented, and she would win. _That's a promise,_ she vowed to her kits and as if in response, they kicked a little harder.

"It looks like it's going to be a nice day," Amelia mewed. The black she-cat had struggled out of the den and stood beside her, viewing the valley as well but focusing on the sky. "I certainly wouldn't be sad if the days got a little warmer," the black she-cat added.

"I want to talk about what I learned in the last two days," Jay murmured.

"I'm all ears," Amelia yawned, sitting down and curling her tail over her paws.

Jay sat down beside her, eyes focused on the valley. "There are four groups that we have to consider as enemies for now. One, Python and his cats. From what I could gather they're a group of warriors under Python's leadership. There aim is not completely clear to me yet, but they seem bent on opposing the Ivy cats and establishing peace and order. From their numbers and strength, I would wager they intend to do that by defeating any cat that opposes them," Jay mewed.

"That's good though," Amelia mewed, "If they're saying that they want to establish peace and order and good stuff like that, than it'll be easier to infiltrate them."

"I also have an acquaintance on the inside now. I can contact her and use her to wiggle myself in," Jay mewed. "The cats they want to fight, the ivy cats, are a bigger problem. I don't know much of them except that they live behind a cave with an ivy covering and they occupy about half the valley, the northern side," Jay mewed, pointing with her nose at the northern edge of the valley. "They seem to be well organized and patrol their borders to keep outsiders out, their reputation proceeds them, no cat dares to go near their border. There are also pretty bad rumors about them, but they also don't seem to start trouble."

"So we could probably disregard them as a threat as long as we don't trespass?" Amelia asked.

Jay nodded, "However, if we get involved with Python, that probably won't be much of an option. The third group is a bunch of rogues that run together and cause trouble. Steal prey, pick on cats, and such, though I think that these cats are the ones currently holding the pass hostage, so I don't think we have to worry about running into them right now," the gray she-cat mewed.

Amelia nodded and Jay continued, "The last group is the one I find the most worrisome. They aren't very well known so I suggest we keep what we know about them to ourselves," Jay mewed. "We'll call them the moon cats, for simplicity sake, since they seem to gather somewhere on the full moons and do occult things, though that's just a rumor. Personally, I'd prefer to stay away and disregard them. Since so few cats know of them, I don't think we can expect them to trouble us as long as we aren't too curious," Jay mewed.

Amelia stared at her, eyes glinting with amusement. "As long as we aren't curious, eh?"

Jay ignored her and continued, "I think I want to be friendly with Python," she mewed.

"Why that one?" Amelia asked.

"He's well known and the cats he's affiliated with seem to be gathered from everywhere, so it wouldn't seem odd for me to be one of his cats. Besides, that's where most of the action seems to be going on just now, so if that's where I am- even if I'm not active- I'll be able to keep an eye on things," Jay mewed.

"That seems pretty solid, but you'd also be taking quite a bit of risk," Amelia warned.

Jay twitched her ears, "I know. That's where you come in, are you up for it?" she looked at the black she-cat steadily.

Amelia stared at her, pleasure spreading over her face. "Use me however you wish. You're pretty intuitive, I wouldn't mind taking part in the fun. Just keep it interesting," Amelia purred, leaning over so that her breath stirred Jay's ear fur.

Jay continued looking out over the valley. She wondered if that's how it felt for prey when they were caught, to know that they were at the mercy of a completely merciless creature. To be let go again and again just to be ensnared once more, growing more and more weary until they had no choice but to give up their will to the monster hunting them.

 _But I'm not a helpless mouse._ "Before I join Python, I want to know a bit more about him. And when I join, I want you to be my shadow. We'll be one cat; I'll be the surface image, what every cat sees. And you'll be my shadow, doing things in the night behind their backs," Jay mewed.

Amelia nodded, "Though, I wonder if this is your way of keeping your paws clean?" the she-cat teased.

Jay flicked her tail irritably, "Not hardly, my paws are already plenty dirty." She lifted up a clean, sleek gray paw. "But I just need every other cat to perceive them as clean. Also, a word of advice, don't mess with the orange tom with gray eyes," Jay growled, glowering at the valley.

"You don't seem to like him very much. But how will I know who he is?" Amelia asked, purring in amusement at her irritation.

"You'll know him when you see him. Be very careful around him, I don't know anything about him yet so I can't know how we should deal with him," Jay ordered.

"As you wish," Amelia mewed in a sing-song voice.

"And another thing, I want us to change names," Jay mewed.

Amelia looked at her in surprise, "Why? We've already introduced ourselves as Jay and Amelia, it'll just be suspicious if we suddenly change."

"No, not like that," Jay sighed. "We can still be Jay and Amelia to every other cat. But for when we refer to each other we need different names. Never did I mention you yesterday and aside from Midnight and those elders no cat knows we're friends. I want to keep it that way. As far as every other cat is concerned Jay and Amelia have no relationship. But our fake names can so that we don't have to fabricate a bigger fable," the gray she-cat explained.

"Ah," Amelia mewed, nodding her head gravely. "That's a very good idea. I think I'll call you Sunny, since you're always so happy," the black she-cat purred.

Jay narrowed her eyes, "That's fine, I'll just call you Black, because it's simple."

Amelia looked disconcerted, "That's not a very elegant name..." the black she-cat shuffled her paws, looking at the sky in silence for a few moments. _Just wait for it,_ Jay thought, closing her eyes and listening to the roar of the mountain winds.

"How about we pick our own fake names?" Amelia suggested after a few moments. _I knew it,_ Jay thought, watching the black she-cat ponder herself for the perfect name.

Jay suddenly realized she hadn't a clue what to call herself. _Something inconspicuous that won't make cats think of me._ But it wasn't easy, a name had always been a name and she'd always been Jay. Jaykit, Jaypaw, and now Jay. She considered using her brother's name, Rain, but her fur was the right color for it to remind some cat of her.

 _Hmm_... "Ah! I got it!" Amelia exclaimed, "I want to be Echo."

"Why Echo?" Jay echoed.

"It sounds like a mountain name and no cat would think of me as an echo," Amelia purred, "And it sounds cool, so it's perfect!"

Jay sighed in agreement, "I don't care what my fake name is, so we can just go with Sunny."

But Amelia shook her head vigorously, "Echo wouldn't dare keep company with a cat named Sunny. I'll pick a new name," Amelia narrowed her eyes and scrutinized her for a few moments. "You'll be Rose, since it's such a pretty name no cat will think of you," Amelia purred.

Jay rolled her eyes, _at least it's better than Sunny._ "Alright, now we just need to gather information about Python, but I don't want to just go asking around again," Jay mused.

"Why don't you just go to his meeting?" Jay jumped as Midnight's voice sounded behind her.

"Excuse me?" Jay squeaked, her heart still beating rapidly from the fright.

"Sorry for sneaking up on you, I didn't mean to do it," the black she-cat apologized, her ice blue eyes round with sincerity. "I just heard that you want to know about Python. He holds a meeting every half-moon and sometimes on the full moon, and tonight's a half moon," Midnight mewed.

Jay exchanged a quick glance with Amelia. "Midnight, where does this meeting take place?"

* * *

"That looks like it," Amelia mewed, tilting her head back to look up the mountain. They stood at the base of a trail that led up the side of the eastern mountain, the gray rock mingling with red to give a more colorful landscape.

"Must be," Jay grunted. A ways up the trail on the mountain side there was a gaping black hole and she was sure that was where the meeting was held. "You go on ahead first, we don't want to arrive together," Jay ordered.

Amelia shrugged, "As you wish, 'Rose.'"

Jay stood back as Amelia sprinted up the path, her black fur a lean streak, silent and graceful but full of power. Around the base of the mountain there was a grove of willows hanging over a babbling stream that had mini waterfalls as it was swept along the slope of the mountain.

The grass was green and soft and Jay laid down, tired from the day's journey. She had eaten not too long ago, but her paws ached from hauling herself all the way across the valley. _And there's still the return journey. If I'm going to join Python for real, then I should move nearby. But I don't seem to have bee the first to think to do that._

As they had gotten closer to the eastern mountains, Jay and Amelia had both noticed that the cat scent had grown stronger and while on the western side they knew of no living cat besides Midnight, the elders, and the ruffians, they couldn't help but notice cats living here. It was a little disconcerting for Jay who had been hopeful that not too many cats had found this hidden valley yet.

"Oh, Jay," the gray she-cat looked up at the sound of her name and a groan formed in her throat.

In front of her stood Ash, his orange fur glowing in the rays of sunlight and his gray eyes as sterile as ever. "What are you doing here?" Jay grumbled.

"I'm going to the meeting, I have business with Python," Ash mewed pleasantly, as if he had not noticed her tone. "And you? Why are you here?" he continued cheerfully.

"The meeting, I wanted to see what sort of cat Python is, for all the attention he's given," Jay sniffed, leaning away as Ash sat down beside her.

"You won't be disappointed," Ash reassured her, and for the first time Jay heard something genuine in Ash's voice. Now her curiosity was piqued, what sort of cat could gather around him so many complacent rogues and even catch the interest of a creature such as Ash?

"I suppose I'll see for myself," Jay mewed coolly, not allowing her intrigue to permeate her voice.

"Then allow me to escort you up and introduce you, he's always happy to have new visitors," Ash offered, jumping to his paws and bowing low in front of her.

Jay's whiskers twitched at his enthusiasm. She almost felt like being pleasant with him. "Alright," she conceded, drawing in a breath and pushing herself to her paws, allowing Ash to guide her slowly up the mountain path. As they went Ash paused to point out which way was the easiest to take and then, motioning to the view they had over the valley, indicated where some things were.

"Over there is the sunken log, only half of it sticks out of the ground," Ash mewed, waving his tail over to the north west. "Then the briar path is over along the southern mountain, and the sinking-sand is over there, by the old oak," the orange tom mewed, motioning to the middle of the valley

"Sinking-sand?" Jay echoed.

Ash nodded, "You've been there, that's where you met Screech. It's a dangerous place so cats tend to avoid it," the tom explained. _Makes sense,_ Jay thought, shivering as she recalled the heart-pounding fear when the ground had seemed to gobble her up.

Jay looked out over the valley and sighed in contentment, it was always so beautiful no matter how many times she looked at it. The wind roared through the mountains and the whistle reminded her of something. "The wind here sounds like ocean waves," she mewed, thinking of Rainstone. Was that why the mountain cat had felt drawn to the ocean?

Ash glanced at her, "What's an ocean?"

Jay waved her tail, "I'll tell you some other time."

They continued up the stony path together, the hum of voices flowing away from the cave they were heading for. The cave yawned into the mountain side, a large, round hole as if pawed out by a gigantic cat. It was dark, the stone a slate gray and the rays of the sun mostly blocked by the overhang that dropped down over the entrance and cast long shadows into the interior of the den.

"This is it," Ash mewed, stepping into the cave, his pelt instantly darkening. Jay felt as if she were stepping into a hole devoid of colors with just noise to distinguish the cats from the blackness. That's not to say there wasn't any light, once her eyes adjusted, she could see every cat fairly clearly, but there was no color- it was all shades of black and gray, even Ash's orange fur seemed gray.

"Most of these cats are Python's soldiers," Ash explained, nodding friendly at a gray she-cat who stood amidts a large of cats, chatting pleasantly. "That's Grass," he mewed, nodding after the gray cat, "She's kind of the unofficial second-leader of the group. She helps organize these meetings and informs and recruits cats, among other things."

Jay stared after the she-cat curiously, she didn't seem to be anything special as she greeted the newcomers cordially, pleasant and friendly in manner. "I didn't know there were so many cats in the valley," Jay grumbled as the cave filled up with pelts.

"Not all of them live in the valley," Ash explained, leading her around a group of four cats that were laughing and sharing stories. "In fact, most of them don't. A lot of Python's soldiers come from outside the mountains, gathered in expeditions searching for young, exuberant cats ready for an adventure. And a lot of the others that visit live deeper in the mountains somewhere and come in the warm weather for the sake of visiting."

Jay nodded slowly, a little overwhelmed by the sheer number. The only other time she had seen so many cats together was during the full-moon gatherings back among the Clans. "This is a large force, how many are with Python?" Jay asked, wondering if she was getting in over her head.

"Only about a fourth of them are officially with Python. But others, like me, work with him," Ash mewed.

"Oh?" Jay turned her attention on him, "And what exactly do you do?"

Ash glanced at her, his eyes locking with hers for a moment before looking away, "I'm an informant of sorts. I gather information and I trade it with him for things."

"What sort of things?" Jay pressed.

"That's my business,' Ash mewed with a tone of finality, so Jay dropped the subject. With a cat like Ash, being straight-forward wouldn't get her very far.

They wandered around for a bit, stopping to talk with a couple of different cats. Jay was aware of Amelia's presence, the black cat seemed blacker than the rest, but Jay never once glanced at her, she wouldn't dare with Ash beside her.

"Where's Python?" Jay asked as they stood on the edge of the cats, looking around for the leader.

"Can you guess?" Ash asked.

Jay gave him a quick, sharp look. He was testing her skills after bringing her guard down. With her nose in the air she surveyed the cats and her eyes settled on a copper-brown tom with white paws, the only thing that glowed in the dingy place, and bright blue eyes that seemed full of intelligence and energy. It was the light of desire that really brought him to her attention and she knew who he must be.

"No, I can't tell," Jay mewed, looking at Ash's annoyed face and purring, "You're going to have to tell me."

Ash sighed, and pointed with his nose at the copper-brown tom, "That's Python," Ash mewed.

"Ah, I see he's surrounded by a lot of cats. Maybe we should wait until we go talk to him," Jay mewed, now she was testing him. How close was he to Python?

"Nonsense," Ash mewed, taking the bait, "He's always happy to see me."

Jay twitched her tail unhappily, it didn't seem like he was trying to be discreet about their relationship. She followed the orange tom as he slipped between the cats as easily as water slips through rocks. "Python, it's a pleasure, as always," Ash mewed, dipping his head low in respect. With his back to her, Jay couldn't tell what expression he had, but his tone was that of deep reverence underlined with excitement.

Jay stood behind Ash, watching the leader closely. Python nodded at Ash in a dignified way and seemed pleased to see him, but had the grace to not be clumsy about it. "Your job is much harder than mine, glad to see you're still in one piece," Python mewed, excusing himself from the group and leading Ash toward the back of the cave where cats avoided going. Jay followed at a distance, close enough to hear and observe without imposing on their conversation.

"Oh, my job isn't that hard. And I enjoy it, so that makes it easier. But I have some more news about that cat..." Ash's voice dropped lower and he glanced at her sharply.

Jay sighed and turned away for a few moments, wandering around and growing bored of the idle chatter, the full ring of voices in her ear. Now she remembered why she had been so happy to leave the Clans and all this behind. This fakeness every cat shared as they pretended politeness, tripping over their words to sound smart or respectful. More worried about how they were perceived than who they really were. It was exhausting to listen to.

She returned to see Ash and Python finished with business and joking about some trivial manner, amusement creating a light atmosphere around them. "Oh! Jay, come here," Ash called, signaling with his tail. Jay trotted forward, dipping her head courteously to Python.

"Jay, Ash was just telling me about you," Python mewed pleasantry, "He says you are very interested in our cause."

Jay nodded her head warily, "That's true," she admitted, giving Ash a sharp look. She hadn't told him what she had intended, how could he have known? Please tell me he can't read thoughts. The orange tom was looking at her with a satisfied look on his face.

"He vouched that you could be useful to us. But I'm a bit worried since you are carrying kits, are you absolutely sure you want to do this?" Python mewed.

"Do what exactly?" Jay asked tersely.

"Well, help with the recruitment. Ash says you're not much of a fighter, so there isn't much else you could do. It would be a lot of traveling in and out of the mountains to gather cats, so it would be difficult with kits. But Ash says you have experience with traveling long distances," Python mewed.

Jay nearly bristled. So this was how he had chosen to deal with her! Try to shove her right back out of the mountains! Suppressing the urge to hiss at Ash she slowly, but firmly, shook her head, "I also think it would be difficult with kits. But I'm willing to help inform the cats around here, and perhaps when the kits are older I won't mind so much, " she mewed.

Ash looked disappointed but not surprised and Python nodded, "I agree, but I already have Grass for that. I don't know what else there is for you to do." Jay pretended to look disappointed and Python went on hurriedly. "But don't worry about that, I'm sure we can find someway for you to help, after all, this is a big job and even the tiniest things could help."

Jay nodded happily, "If there is anything you need me to do, please ask," she mewed, _friendly establishment, complete._ Python nodded and talked to her extensively throughout the evening. Although Jay hadn't quite known exactly what Python's aim was, she did now.

They were a force bent on destroying the Ivy cats and establishing a communal society throughout the entire valley. Cats would be neighbors and there would be no boundaries. There would be a few rules to keep order and a guard to protect the valley and its inhabitants. Peace and prosperity, that's what Python believed he would achieve.

_A lovely but ultimately fruitless ideal. He may be able to keep things in check while alive, but his plan is to put all the power in the guard, no doubt some cat will come to power and abuse this system, all you need is one bad spot and the whole things rots..._

As the evening lengthened cats began disappearing, Amelia left early and Jay relaxed, glad that the black she-cat hadn't done anything unnecessary to attract attention. Eventually midnight came and the pale moonlight lined the black stone with silver, silhouetting the quiet cats against it.

"We're the last two visitors," Ash mewed, coming to her side as she stared out the entrance at the sky beyond.

Python padded up to them with a familiar small gray and white she-cat. _Screech_ , Jay recognized her but wasn't sure if the she-cat had mentioned her and she didn't pay her any attention. "The meeting was successful," the leader purred and Screech nodded, her blue eyes as wide and unnerving as Jay remembered.

"Did you get any recruits?" Ash asked. Jay waited to listen to the reply.

"No, but several did seem interested in supporting us. And besides that, Leaf and Spark should be coming back any day with some more recruits," Python added to which Ash nodded.

Jay nearly choked on her saliva, though she managed to suppress it to a slight shudder. _Please tell me they aren't talking about those cats..._ "Where did they go to get new cats?" she asked.

Python looked at her curiously, "They went out of the mountains, I think they decided to head west. It was nearly six moons ago so I bet they've had a lot of success," he mewed happily.

Jay glanced at Ash, did he not know about the rogues holding the pass? It seemed unlikely, but he clearly hadn't said anything to Python about it. However, it would be in her best interest as well to keep those particular cats out of the mountains.

"Actually, I think I heard something about the pass between the mountains," Ash mewed slowly. Jay froze for a second, but then she unassumingly turned and looked at him with little interest on her face. _Please, just don't tell me you knew what I did!_

Ash's eyes were on her, the gray lighting up slowly as he found that he had her trapped. "Go on," Python encouraged.

"I don't know the particulars," Ash mewed modestly, but clearly eagerly, "But I think I heard that there were rogues holding the pass captive."

"If that's true, then Leaf and Spark may not be able to return, that would explain their prolonged absence," Grass mewed, coming up to stand beside Python's other shoulder. Jay almost bristled, was every cat coming to hear of this?

"Ash, how long have you known about this?" Python mewed sternly. Jay looked at him in surprise, he was rather sharp to ask such a question. Not that Ash was going to be honest about it.

But the orange tom seemed to shrink under the stifling blue gaze and he dipped his head, "I heard about it a while ago, but I never had time to look into it," he admitted. Jay looked at him coldly, _he was waiting for a time when it would be useful to him, and now it is._

But still, she was amazed that Ash had answered somewhat truthfully. She had thought that when Ash said he was working with Python, that he was using the copper leader as she planned to. But maybe he really was working with him, giving his loyalty and strength to this cat because they shared a common ideal. _No, best not to assume anything._

"Well, if that's settled, if you'll excuse my rudeness," he dipped his head courteously, "I'll have to ask you two to leave. Members only meeting."

Jay agreed, not willing to get on his bad side if he could keep Ash in line. The orange tom was eager to make himself scarce as well and led her quickly from the den. Jay paused outside of the den as Ash continued on his way, "We aren't going to stay and listen to what he says?" Jay mewed, incredulous as the tom stepped lightly down the path.

Ash looked back at her, his gray eyes shone silver in the moonlight and his tone was surprised, "Didn't you hear him? It's a members only meeting, which means it's only for the soldiers."

Jay flicked her tail and padded after him, "I know that," she hissed, "But that doesn't mean we can't disobey, after all, he has no authority over us. And the more we know about this the better." _How strong is your loyalty?_

Ash shook his head quickly, "You're new to the mountains, but respect is key here. If you're working with someone, then you have to be respectful and show your respect. I do this by being obedient to the one cat I can trust and respect," the orange tom mewed.

Jay sniffed, "And every other cat is fair game I suppose?"

Ash grinned, "You catch on quickly."

Jay sighed and plodded down the slope with him. The sky was dark with the light of stars and the moon sprinkling across the heavens. The valley below them was hidden in soft shadows with the gleam of silver reflecting off the open fields and dozens of streams.

"It isn't as cold tonight," Jay murmured, the air wasn't warm either, but it was comfortably cool.

"Jay, did you learn everything you wanted to know at the meeting?" Ash mewed abruptly.

Jay looked at him, his eyes were back to that underlying sharp, calculating look with the facade of blankness. "Of course not. It was only one meeting," Jay sniffed. That wasn't exactly true, she had learned everything she needed. But there was more she wished to know.

"Well, there will more chances," Ash mewed.

"Hey, Ash, are we allies or enemies?" Jay asked abruptly. Right now, even though they were trying to trip the other up, the atmosphere between them was friendly.

Ash tilted his head, "I don't know. What do you think?"

Jay scoffed, "Perhaps a bit of both. It might be fun though, I admit you're growing on me a little We can be friends and enemies at the same time, I suppose? ."

Ash smirked at her, "You're the only one who thinks so."

"What was with trying to kick me out of the mountains? Like I'd fall for something so obvious," Jay mewed angrily.

Ash shrugged, "I'm sure you're aware, but you're a bit of a nuisance in my world. Things were going so well until you arrived."

"Sorry that my presence is do disrupting," Jay snorted.

"But you'll be taken care of pretty soon," Ash mewed cheerfully.

Jay looked at him sharply, "Is that so."

Ash nodded, "When your little ones come, you won't have time to mess with me. Speaking of which, I wanted to ask, is your mate in the valley? I sort of supposed that was the reason for your coming here and immense interest in everything."

Jay nearly toppled over herself, he couldn't be more wrong! But was it a bad idea to have him think that? "Think what you like," she mewed curtly.

"Did he lie to you? Hide himself away? If you wish, I can help you out, but you'd have to do something for me in return," Ash offered.

"I can take care of things myself," she scowled.

Ash's eyes lit up and he curled his tail over her shoulders, "You're a marvelous liar, you know that?" Jay nearly froze, he had seen through her? "And that bit about Leaf and Spark, making it look like you were an observer to hide your own part in the matter. If your kits don't take care of you, that will."

Jay felt her heart beat grow painfully loud and hard in her chest, for a moment she could see the horror on Silver's bloody face again, then the absolute disgust. Her mouth grew dry and her paws went cold. It was a wonderful feeling really, the adrenaline in her veins the fear battling with glee in her heart.

"But don't worry, I'm sure you took good care of them, so there won't be anything to worry about when they mention you," Ash continued.

Jay almost groaned to herself, of course they were going to find out! Why didn't she just run and disappear like Amelia? then Silver wouldn't have seen her and they'd have nothing on her. What to do... She was so focused on this new dilemma that she almost didn't notice when Ash stopped stock still beside her. Glancing at him she saw his gray eyes locked on something between the trees.

Jay raised her head and followed his gaze. All her previous thoughts melted away. Right there, between the trees, stood a white cat. The moonlight gleamed off the fur and it simmered silver as if stars were caught in its fur and it seemed to radiate with light and beauty. It looked at them with eyes as white as its fur and it slowly blinked before it turned and whisked away into the shadows, seeming to take all the light away with it.

Jay slowly pulled her gaze from the spot and looked at Ash who looked as astonished as she felt, his eyes wide and mouth agape. Jay felt as if she had just seen something rare, something that would effect her entire life while not changing anything at all.

"Hey, Jay," Ash mewed hoarsely after a few minutes of silence, "You never did tell me. Do you believe in ghosts?"

Jay looked back at the spot where the white cat had been standing, she swallowed, her tongue stuck to the roof of her mouth. "Yeah, I guess I do."


	9. Cajolery

"So Leaf and Spark were working for Python?" Amelia asked, eyes fixated on her claws as she cleaned them, her mind only half on what Jay was telling her.

Jay nodded, her claws plucking at the ground in agitation. "Ash told Python about the rogues holding the pass and he's going to look into it," she mewed in a low voice. "If they find out about what happened, I'm going to have the most power force in the valley on my tail instead of in my paws."

If that happened she'd probably have to leave the valley and hide somewhere else for at least a while until her kits were older. "I think you're over thinking this," Amelia mewed and Jay jerked her muzzle up to stare at the black she-cat. Amelia sat on the grass, perfectly composed, with a slight disdain in her eyes.

"I don't think you understand what we did," Jay growled, "It was definitely not a nice thing."

"But what proof do they have of it?" Amelia asked, "All they know is that after the battle- which was a disaster- we disappeared and ended up in the mountains. We could just say that we left them and found a different way into the mountains. There's no cat to oppose it."

"Except that Silver saw me leaving," Jay growled.

Amelia;s eyes flashed with anger for a moment, "Then deny it, say that she must have been confused after the battle and mistook a rogue for you."

Jay flattened her ears, this would never work. Such a deep deception wouldn't last forever. "Plus they know that we are friends, so that would make pretending not to know each other pointless." She paused as Amelia lofted over her with a smug grin. Jay glared up at her, not enjoying the superior look Amelia had, "What?"

"I had a feeling something like this might happen," Amelia mewed haughtily. "Not once did I give my name away yesterday. So we can just mix it up a little. The name I'll use with others in this valley will be Echo- though it will be temporary. That's how I'll introduce myself and then you can still refer to being friends with Amelia. I just won't let Leaf's cats see me if they ever get here again."

Jay flicked her tail in annoyance. Things had gotten too complicated too quickly. Something wasn't right. _There has to be some cat doing this. Ash? No, this is probably beyond him. Fate? Possibly. A force I'm not aware of yet? I hope not._

"So, what are you going to do now?" Amelia asked, sitting back in the sunshine, her black fur shone glossy as she rolled over in the soft grass, crushing delicate flowers beneath her as she rubbed her head against the ground.

Jay watched her, frowning slightly. "For now, I want to establish a secure connection with Python's group. If I can gain their sympathy before Leaf and the others return, then they'll be more willing to listen to my side of the story. As for you, I have some new orders, Echo," Jay mewed.

After giving Amelia new instructions, the black she-cat got to her paws and set out. The two of them had spent the last day in a meadow near the Sinking-Sand after meeting up at Midnight's den after the half-moon meeting. They'd bid their hosts goodbye and set out to find a spot more central to the valley.

Although it wasn't a perfect place for kits- with the deadly sand pit nearby- Jay had decided to take up residence near the Sinking-Sand to avoid living by other cats. There was a nice meadow that stretched out from where the oak tree stood with its dangerous trap surrounding it, and on the opposite side of that meadow Jay had made a shabby den.

It wasn't anything more than a couple fern bushes covering a dip in the ground, but she planned to build something more permanent soon. However, she was a little worried, since she'd discovered another reason for why this area was so sparingly traversed. It was uncomfortably close to the Ivy Cats border.

She hadn't seen any yet, but she'd found their border by scent and found signs that they hunted out this way. Something told her that they had no qualms about passing their boundary in search of prey. This could pose some problems for her should they ever encounter. _I don't know anything about their skill or strength yet, except that Python seems to think he needs a very large force to defeat them._

For Python, who had seemed a capable leader to her, that told her to be wary and she didn't want to meet them unexpectedly. She was hoping that these cats had a schedule so that she could learn when they would be near the border so that she could leave at that time.

But for now, the valley was peaceful around her. The ash and birch trees that made up most of the woods around her rustled in the breeze and the sun was warm. The fresh tang of new-leaf came from the budding trees and flowers as yellow pollen was carried through the air on the curling wind rolling over the green hills.

When she closed her eyes she could feel the sway of the land, the fickle greenery and the sturdy rock as different as night and day. But when she closed her eyes, she could see only one thing.

A glowing white cat wreathed with silver mist with eyes that were as pale as stars. The thought of that cat still sent shivers down her spine. And they weren't the exhilarating kind. It was that cold touch, that skeletal kiss that made its way under her skin and sent her insides rattling in unease.

Whoever that cat was, Jay was sure of one thing. She wanted nothing to do with it. Ghosts weren't supposed to exist, not like that. And she'd be darned if she got herself killed by an unearthly spirit. And besides that, it was the one factor that could send a wrench in her plans since she knew nothing of what a ghost was meant to be.

 _But if I saw it once, what's the chances of seeing it again? Rather high._ Jay didn't like it, and she most definitely did not appreciate being bothered by unreal things when she had plenty of real problems to deal with. First off, she decided, getting to her paws and heading off to the east, she needed to speak with Screech again.

She went along at a lounging lope, her pawsteps eating up the land in quick succession until she was once again at the base of the eastern mountain. Her belly grumbled and she hunted among the willows for some prey, finding a vole shuffling near a clear stream and she quickly caught and gobbled it up.

Flicking the bones into the stream to be washed away, she turned and started up the slope. As she neared the black cave she paused, ears flicking in confusion. It was perfectly silent, but weren't there supposed to be lots of cats- and soldiers at that- living here?

She continued on faster and although she was no longer surprised, she was confused when she looked into the cave and found it abandoned. Frowning, she turned away from the cave and sat on the gravelly path, looking out over the valley. To her left, the path up the mountain grew steeper as it continued on, no more than a thin trail with grass encroaching on the edges and the land falling away to the right of the path as it climbed higher into the air. Jay didn't think so many cats could travel that way frequently without leaving some sort of evidence.

So, where were they? _If they don't live here, they must live nearby so that it's easy to get here. But probably far enough away that no cat will be able to overhear or spy on them from here. So, where?_

Not in the valley, she would have known about that for sure. Was there another secret cave somewhere in the mountain? Possibly, but probably not in their use. If they'd wanted a cave, they would have just used this one and held their meetings at the base of the mountain. So it must be something else.

 _Unfortunately, this is where I'm at a disadvantage since I don't know the territory._ However, she was sure of two things, one, they lived on the eastern side of the valley, two, they lived fairly close to where she was now. Her evidence for this was that Screech had been able to make it to the sinking-sand without fear for alarming any cat- meaning they didn't live too far outside the valley- and she'd also headed home by going east.

 _But this mountain is huge, I could spend the whole day looking and not find anything!_ She wondered if she should give this job to Amelia, but then she shook her head vigorously to herself. She'd given Amelia plenty of tasks, she could handle this on her own.

 _Focus, there must be some sign. A scent trail, paw-prints. Something!_ The only logical direction to head was back down the path. She kept her eyes open, looking left out at the valley and to her right, up at the mountain that led steeply up off the path, covered with rocks and a few sparse pinion trees growing at a slant in the steep soil.

About half-way down she paused, looking down the declivity, to the right there was a pinion tree growing into the side of a boulder and in the shadow of its roots there appeared to be... _Yes!_ As she got closer it was harder to see but when she was right on top of it she could see a path that went through the tunnel made by the roots. Past the tunnel she couldn't see much, but she couldn't see an opening, did the tunnel go through the mountain to the other side? A short-cut to a place that would take almost a day to reach normally?

 _Of course! You can only see the opening to the tunnel going down the mountain and when they have the meetings, cats leave after dark so I didn't even notice the tree that night, much less a path!_ The genius of it warmed Jay's heart, even more so since she had uncovered the trickery.

But she hesitated from going on the path, firstly she didn't know for sure where it led or if it branched off. Secondly, it might cause alarm if she suddenly showed up at their hideout. Deciding that some cat had to come and go eventually, she settled down to wait outside the tunnel and sat with her back to it as she looked out over the valley. The wind came from the west and rushed up the mountain, pushing her whiskers back into her face as she opened her mouth and tasted the sweet mountain air.

Sooner or later some cat had to come along, and Jay did not have to wait long. Just as her paws were growing cold from not moving and being constantly exposed to the intense updraft, a group of voices echoed from the tunnel to her and she stood, ready to greet the cats and get what she wanted.

She stood back as the cats came through the tunnel. They looked at her in curious surprise and quickly formed a half-circle on the lower slope of the trail before she even had time to count how many had come out of the tunnel. Jay recognized Grass among them, along with two cats she had seen at the gathering but had not spoken to.

"Jay, what brings you here?" Grass asked shortly, though not unpleasantly.

Jay was a little surprised that Grass remembered her, she had to see dozens of new cats every moon. She quickly recovered and nodded politely to the cats, "I wanted to learn more about Python and his group," she mewed openly.

"That's nice, but we're busy right now. We have meetings every half moon to share information," Grass answered.

"But don't you go around outside of that time to spread the news?" Jay asked. She'd heard that Grass was the only one that was often seen outside of the meetings, usually meeting with cats and teaching more about the goings-on.

Grass narrowed her eyes, "Usually, but I'm on a special assignment so I'm afraid it'll have to wait."

Jay's ears pricked, "Special assignment?"

"It has nothing to do with you, and I'm sorry you came so far to be turned away but I can't do anything about it. Now if you please, we must be going," Grass dipped her head coolly and turned to her cats, marching through them to lead them down the trail. Two of her cats gave Jay an apologetic glance as they followed Grass, but no cat paused in their march.

Jay watched them with interest, such stalwart gazes, such determination in the way they held their heads... If any cat deserved to rule this valley, it was cats like these. _They might actually do it, I don't know what there skill is, but I think they have more heart for this cause than any warrior back home._

But now she was left with a problem. She had noticed how Grass had glanced out of the corner of her eye at the western side of the valley, and if that was indeed where they were going there was only one thing they could be doing. _Investigating into the rogues._ _They don't have enough cats to take those rogues down, but they won't be going back without any news._

This quick response both frightened and exhilarated Jay. Python was a cat to get things done, now all that was left to see was how effectively he did things. _But this is bad for me, I need to become friends with them quickly without making it suspicious._

Jay decided that if her scent lingered there too long it would put the cats ill at ease- and she wanted anything but that. So after a few minutes had passed since Grass departed, Jay followed the trail down the mountain. However, she wasn't giving up and drifted around the willows, scouting the area.

It seemed only one den was built in the area immediately at the base of the mountains, and the cat didn't seem to be currently residing there. The area was a little marshy, three stringy streams crisscrossing the grassy fields before joining into one main creek further into the valley. The trees were mostly willows along the sides of the streams, it being the only place in the mountains wet enough for the graceful trees to habituate.

Jay was pleased with how soft and lush the grass was, a rich vibrant green and tall enough to tickle her ears. It reminded her of RiverClan territory, with how damp and green the area was, but she didn't particularly dislike it. Though, she knew she wouldn't want to build a den in a place where her paws were always wet.

It was, however, full of prey and before she'd swept the area twice over she had four plump pieces of prey. She stored her cache beneath a bush near a patch of flowers. No sane cat would look for prey in a place they couldn't scent anything but pollen.

Now Jay was back to waiting and she headed back closer to the mountain trail, settling down on the higher, drier ground in the shelter of a willow tree. Its long, whip-like branches covered with furry little leaves of a pale green that swayed and fluttered in the wind.

Jay looked out over the distant green tree tops, past the ascending hills and pointed peaks of the gray mountains. The sky was a hazy blue in the distance, almost gray in color and Jay could practically see the undulating sea waves taking shape in the distance.

A speck of brown caught her attention and she watched an eagle turn lazy circles over the valley. Jay wondered what it would be like to be an eagle, to swoop through the air with nothing to hold her down, to see everything from above with only the sun and the moon surpassing her. She purred to herself, _a silly thought, but sweet nonetheless._

The clack of pebbles against stone alerted Jay to cats coming down the mountain trail. She lifted her head and watched them calmly. Her heart lifted when she saw Screech among the cats, that would make this much easier.

Jay remained still, not even moving her head as she followed the cats with her eyes. They were chatting like larks about where they were going to hunt and it took severe self-control to not grin at her own cleverness. She waited until they had almost walked right past her, her dark pelt melting into the shadow of the background scenery. "Oh hello, Screech, how are you?"

Her voice bounced around the valley a little and caused a stir among the cats, as one their ears pricked and they looked around, earnestly alert. One of the cats, a brown tabby tom with a slick black stripe down his spine, spotted her first, his fierce amber eyes focusing on hers and with a few flicks of his tail drew the others attention to her.

Jay got up and slowly made her way toward them, picking her way down into the damper earth carefully to avoid getting her paws wet. "Jay," Screech mewed, coming to stand in the front of the group facing her.

One or two of the cats looked disconcerted, but the rest seemed unconcerned. They didn't see her as a threat, and that was exactly what she wanted. Screech stared at her with those wide blue eyes and Jay's grin slipped a little, that unnerving feeling of being trapped beneath her almost blind gaze was like an itch she couldn't scratch. It was open and honest, but Jay had seen the darkness of despair behind that mask; desperate cats were the most dangerous.

"What are you doing over here?" Screech continued, her voice contained a listless note that Jay didn't remember. _Though, she was pretty agitated that day, is this how she is normally?_ Her voice almost makes me feel lonely.

"Not doing much," Jay admitted, "I was just waiting for some cat, but they won't be around for awhile yet. And you," Jay added brightly, "What are you doing?"

Screech didn't respond, but one of the others, an orange and cream she-cat with soft yellow eyes did, "We're hunting. Would you care to join us while you wait? You can keep your own prey," the she-cat reassured her, "But it is more fun to hunt together."

A shaggy brown tom who stood behind the orange she-cat nodded. Jay pretended hesitance, "Are you sure?"

Screech didn't so much as shift her gaze and the tom who had first spotted her only shrugged, "You can or you can't, your choice."

Jay dipped her head, "I think I will if it is really alright."

The ease in which the cats allowed Jay in unnerved her. In the Clans if a stranger showed up, they'd be lucky to get away with all their fur intact, she definitely wouldn't expect them to be invited to hunt. _Maybe it's a mountain thing._

However, it made her job much simpler and she'd appear less suspicious if she was invited, which was always a good thing. The cats broke off into groups and Jay ended up hunting with the sharp-eyed tom that had been the first to spot her. From the way the others looked to him for orders, she thought perhaps he was in charge of the hunting group.

She watched him from the corner of her eye as they hunted. He was experienced, able to pick up on faint scents and skillfully corner the prey. He was also quiet, sparing her as few words as possible, but Jay was appreciative of a cat who knew how to keep their mouth shut.

The only problem was that he didn't miss a move she made, it would be difficult for her to play her game with his eyes locked on her. After awhile Jay lifted her head, "We've caught a couple pieces, how about we split up and see if we can find anything on our own?" she suggested, betting on the fact that he wouldn't think anything odd about a loner opting to hunt by herself.

Strike looked at her, his eyes closely guarded. "If you wish, we're meeting at the bottom of the mountain trail when we're done." He didn't say another word as he picked up their catch- taking two of the three pieces- and heading off through the tall grass, leaving a little trail of bent blades where he walked.

Jay waited for him to be a bit away before turning and nonchalantly walking through the grass with her head and tail down so that she couldn't be spotted. She soon came to one of the little streams and hopped over it, keeping her back flat and low to the ground.

Now she could move faster and she seemed to float over the ground as she quickly loped to the flower patch where she had hidden her earlier catch. Purring as she padded through the brightly colored bunches she pulled out her prey and loaded it upon herself, hurriedly turning and trotting less quickly back the way she had come, she didn't want to be _too_ perfect.

With the warmth of the sun, the sweetness of the breeze, and the ravishing scent of prey around her Jay felt quite content as she trotted happily through the grass toward the base of the mountain trail. Screech and the tom she had hunted with were already there and they looked up in surprise as she dropped her impressive catch.

"How did you find so much prey in so short a time?!" the tom exclaimed, his silence broken by shock as his eyes rounded looking at the prey.

Jay waved her tail, "Luck was on my side today," she purred, curling her tail in apparent pleasure, noticing that he had only caught one more piece since they'd split up..

Screech stared wide-mouthed at the four plump pieces of prey she'd dropped. "How are you going to eat all of that?"

Jay waved her tail, "Oh, I don't need it. I kept back a piece for myself already so you all can take it."

Screech looked up at her in surprise, "Are you sure? Prey isn't always this easy to find," the she-cat warned.

Jay nodded vigorously, "I know, but I won't be able to eat it all right now anyways. It'll just go rotten. Please, I can't do much for your cause right now, let me help in this way," she nosed the pieces toward them.

The brown tom shared a glance with Screech, "If it is your wish, than it would be rude to refuse. Thank you, you're very generous," the tom mewed formally.

Jay purred, leaning back and closing her eyes in contentment, "Tell Python I'm wishing him and you all the very best." _This is going better than I thought, are these cats stupid or just naive? Do they know nothing about manipulation? Food is the simplest way to gain affection._

They waited for a while longer in silence for the remaining two cat and Jay grew impatient, "What's keeping them, did they run into trouble?" she asked, feigning worry.

Screech shook her head, "Dawn and Bear are mates, they're just fooling around."

Jay looked at her in surprise, she hadn't even noticed. "They are?" she mused, looking out into the meadow.

The brown tom snorted, "How did you not know? I heard you were staying with Midnight, surely she told you."

Jay tilted her head in confusion and used a quizzical expression. The tom continued, "Dawn is Midnight's sister, and her mate used to be-"

He broke off as Screech cleared her throat. Jay looked at the gray and white she-cat, "Bear used to be what?" she asked, playing dumb.

"Forget about it, Strike was talking about things that do not concern him," she gave the tom a hard look from her big eyes. "It'd be better to leave family business to the family, so I wouldn't ask around about it."

Jay shrugged, "If you say so. I can only imagine something happened. Midnight was the one who told me about Python, so if she didn't mention her sister, that wouldn't make me think they have a good relationship. But don't worry, I'm not living with Midnight anymore," she assured Screech who looked a little strained.

"Please don't mention it in front of Dawn or Bear either, they are... touchy about it," Screech mewed nervously. The rustle of grass told them that the two were finally returning and they dropped the subject, though Strike continued muttering under his breath. _So he's only quiet around cats he doesn't trust?_ Jay wished he would be quiet all the time.

Dawn and Bear joined them, each with two mice and Dawn gushed over Jay's impressive catch and showered her with thanks. Jay was a bit overwhelmed by the gushing emotion and she felt a little insulted by the obvious lack in sincerity. _Is she just trying to humor me?_

Jay, recognizing that there was nothing more to be gained here, said goodbye and quickly left, hurrying away until their vibrant voices melted into the background. Jay let out a tired sigh, exhausted but pleased with the effort. _Now I'm not just a name that offered help, I actually gave it. I've backed up my words with action. I'll have to keep doing that, but it'll endear me more every time._

Humming happily she found the last piece of prey from her catch with Strike and she picked at the crow, not terribly fond of this particular food. The sun was going down, the day being chased away by the shadows that bit at the retreating light's heels.

Dusk came early to the valley, the mountains quickly casting the basin in shadow while light remained in the sky for a much longer period of time. With the coolness of evening on her tongue, Jay trotted languidly back toward her new den, listening to the dying chirps of birds and the rustle of prey in the undergrowth, shaking in fear as she passed by.

She reached the meadow that she had chosen for her new home as the moon slid past the peaks of the mountain and took its place in the indigo sky. The pale light lit up the hazy purple sky and the stars' twinkling light seemed dim besides the waxing moon, growing fuller with each passing night.

The cool shadows scampered about the woods but stayed away from Jay as she stood in the meadow, her own shadow the only darkness cast by the silver moonlight. No, there was another, a cat who matched the shadow so well that the two seemed one.

"I hope you haven't been waiting too long, Amelia. Oh, I'm sorry, I meant Echo," Jay snickered to herself, dropping her head and padding toward the she-cat.

"Not too long, only since around dusk," Amelia answered, "You look tired," the black cat added, her amber eyes glowing with contentment.

"I'm not tired," Jay lied, she was nearly trembling in exhaustion. The trekking about with a belly full of kits was harder than she'd thought it'd be. Her back ached, her shoulders were sore, and she felt that a feather would be too heavy to carry. "But enough with that, did you do what I asked?" Jay asked, coming to a stop right in front of the she-cat and locking their gazes.

Amelia purred and closed her eyes as if reminiscing, "It seems you were right about that cat. Ash is indeed a member of the Ivy Cats. But the Ivy Cats didn't seem particularly unpleasant, they actually reminded me a lot of clan cats," the black she-cat continued. "However, I did notice one thing," and here the she-cat paused, "I didn't see any she-cats outside of the cave, but from the scent I got, there were some in the cave they live in."

Jay frowned and used her paws to flatten the grass around her, sitting down on it once it was smooth. "So it seems that something odd is going on with them?" she murmured, "But that doesn't concern us," Jay continued, lifting her muzzle. "Which side is Ash on? Is he spying on the Ivy Cats or the Soldiers?"

Amelia shrugged, "I couldn't tell from today, he didn't speak of Python, but he didn't seem to hold any hostilities for the cats he was with."

"And I don't know if the information he has been giving Python is fabricated or real," Jay grumbled, the fur around her shoulders fluffing up in annoyance. "If he was lying to Python, getting rid of him would be easy," Jay complained, looking up and fixing her gaze on the moon.

"For some reason I think you enjoy the challenge Ash presents," Amelia commented, lifting her head to the wind.

"It makes things interesting," Jay admitted, "But right now, I'm not just thinking of my entertainment. There won't be peace in this valley as long as he's manipulating cats, and I want my kits to have peace until they're ready for the chaos of life. So for now, Ash is not a challenge but a threat to be either silenced or eliminated."

They sat in silence for a few moments. Amelia was thinking about who knows what, but Jay watched the moon, thinking about how someday not too far away she'd sit out on a warm evening with her kits playing around her. The thought filled her with a joy she hadn't known for a long time.

 _The last time I felt like this,_ Jay thought, purring in the sweet bliss, _was when I was with him... I wonder how he's doing._ She didn't think about her mate often for several reasons, but for now she could indulge in nostalgia without fear of haunting memories. Because for now, she was bathed in moonlight.

 _Speaking of moonlight..._ "What about that other cat I asked you to look into?" Jay asked, abruptly changing the mood.

Amelia's whiskers twitched, "It seems your 'ghost' cat, really is a ghost."

Jay flicked her ears, "Explain."

Amelia sighed, "I couldn't find it. Not a trace. There were no paw prints where you saw it, and no scent there either. In fact, it didn't look like any cat had touched that place for moons. I tried to ask a few cats, but they all had similar stories to yours. They saw it at night, glowing white fur and white eyes, it vanished almost into thin air."

"But if other cats saw it, that means there is in fact something here," Jay pointed out.

"True," Amelia admitted, dipping her head. "But it is real or a fable?" the black she-cat asked.

Jay shrugged, "Could just be a 'special' cat, like you or my mother."

Amelia hissed, "I don't appreciate being compared to Scorch," the she-cat mewed snarkily.

Jay's whiskers twitched in amusement, _so her mother was what ticked Amelia off? Not that I hadn't supposed._ "Well, regardless. We've done well today. We know more now than we did this morning and more importantly, more cats know about us. A good day's work is done," Jay yawned, getting to her paws and padding to the makeshift den. Or in other words, the slightly protected hollow in the ground.

"If we did so well, then I want a say in what we do tomorrow," Amelia mewed, stepping in front of her with a grin on her face. "I want us to build a real den so we can get a real night's sleep."

Jay shrugged, "I don't really sleep much, but I wouldn't say no to some shelter from this wind and-" Jay paused mid-sentence, a bone-chilling sensation coming over her. It was paralyzing, her eyes still fixed on Amelia's confused face and her whole body stiff.

As quickly as the sensation came it left and Jay was left trembling and confused, her heart racing as she tried to catch her breath. She looked around, her eyes fearfully searching the shadows. She spotted a flash of light but it vanished before she could see it clearly, _what was that? And why was I so terrified?_

And it was the fact that she was terrified for no reason that scared Jay.


	10. Fall-Out

The next seven days went shockingly well for Jay and she watched them slip by quietly. Jay estimated that she was now no more than a moon from kitting and no cat could look at her slender frame without noticing the bulge in her belly. She was starting the feel the pressure, but it still wasn't her main concern.

And now she was ready, for after a bit of hard work she and Amelia had constructed a den worthy of envy. They had decided to change the location and had built the den against a felled tree trunk on the outskirts of the meadow a little closer to the sinking-sand. Weaving brambles and briars to form a dangerous exterior barrier while making the insides soft with ferns, moss, and lichen lining to keep out drafts. It was spacious, since Jay had planned it to easily accommodate six full grown cats. At the moment, it looked even bigger with only the two lone dens on either side of the circularly constructed den.

The only entrance was a small opening equidistant from both Jay's and Amelia's nest, as agreed by the two of them. The entrance was the only point where light came in, leaving the inside cool and dark even in the heat of the day. Jay still wanted to line the ground with moss, but for now cold dirt and grass sufficed as a floor.

When they had finished the work Jay had sat inside and admired their handiwork, pride warming her chest as she appreciated that there was not a single hole or draft besides the entrance. And now she wouldn't have to feel chills from unknown eyes.

That terrifying sensation had never come back, but just once had been enough to put Jay on high alert. But no amount of searching and investigating led to anything fruitful. Jay had started to keep a careful eye on Amelia, specifically when they worked together on building the den.

The black she-cat didn't seem to be as edgy as she was, but Jay had noticed Amelia looking around a bit more than usual and she wore an anxious look sometimes as evening came upon them. How odd! Two of the most dangerous she-cats the Clans had ever met, and they were scared of apparently nothing! The irony of it made Jay's blood boil.

 _There's something more going on here, and I'm determined to find out!_ Jay hissed quietly to herself, striking the ground as she scraped away the moss from the stone and clean curls. It was the evening of the seventh day since she had been overcome by chills, and just remembering her paralyzing fear angered her.

But she had been busy the last few days, building a den and warming Python's group up to her. She hadn't met the leader himself again, but she'd done little favors for his cats everyday. From helping collect moss for fresh bedding to helping fight off a hawk, she'd made sure she was there whenever they needed help.

And she hadn't had time to send Amelia into investigating it- she wanted to do it herself anyways- but the black she-cat had been assigned to learn as much as she could about the Ivy Cats. Though the reports so far were less than interesting.

"They seem to be broken up in two parts; one fights, the other hunts. I don't know how they are organized and I can't tell who the leaders are yet." "I haven't seen a cat younger than five moons outside of the cave, and those that are younger than about eight are always accompanied." "I have seen a few she-cats outside the cave, but they are always accompanied by a tom and don't seem to do much besides walk and gather herbs."

Jay was impatient with this. She didn't want to know how they survived, she wanted to know why they _lived_. And why Python thought they needed to be destroyed. Also, knowing their weaknesses was always a good thing.

Jay sighed, time was running out. She didn't know what Ash was doing, but she was sure he was trying to drag things on until after she had her kits and would be preoccupied before he made any moves. _I also don't know how close Python is to freeing the pass. But I'm going to have to deal with it sooner or later as well._

Frowning, Jay finished gathering moss and shook out the moisture, rolling it up tight and picking up, trotting back toward her den as the sky turned from flush pink to cool purple and the scenery turned gray in the twilight. The cries of birds died with the light and the melancholy tune of the wind established its dominance as the nightly sound, drowning out the drowsy sounds of tired creatures.

By the time Jay had reached the den the heather blue sky was turning black and the nearly full moon hovered above the peak of the easternmost mountain. The mountain where Python and his troops lived. Jay stared at it for a moment, wondering what was going on over there before sighing and entering the den.

Making her was confidently over to her own nest in the dark, she deftly laid the fresh layer of moss over her nest and kneaded it with her paws to smooth and soften it out. Once satisfied with the plushness, Jay hopped into the nest and curled down to rest.

She groomed her fur before entering into repose, as a means to calm herself since with the shadows came an unknown threat that she knew lurked about somewhere in the valley. And although she didn't think Amelia was much of a comfort, she was a bit more uneasy all alone in this strange new place.

 _I know Amelia likes being out at night, but can't she let me know when she's going to be gone?_ Jay thought crossly, tugging at a knot in her fur. The black she-cat hadn't been around much since the den had been finished. She came to sleep sometimes and give Jay reports, but that was all Jay saw her for.

Once Jay was finished with her grooming she laid her chin on her paws, staring into the darkness as she waited for tiredness to drag at her eyes. The muted sounds of the wind sounded eerie and the brushing of branches against each other sent shivers under her fur. She flattened her ears against her skull, wishing to block out the noise.

She didn't want to think about the night, she didn't want to remember. She just wanted to sleep. In peace, like a kit with no fears to tear at the mind until it was broken and bloody. Or memories that made her heart ache and choked her throat with emotion. What a wondrously terrible life she'd had that could frighten and exhilarate her even now as she laid in a safe den far, far away in both distance and time from the happenings that seemed to be the only real thing she'd ever experienced in her life.

Morning found her sound asleep, exhausted from the night's silent ordeal. She had fallen asleep as the first light had found its way into her den, complacently unaware of the massive pattern of life the valley had. Or what was in store for her that day.

* * *

By sun-high Jay was awake and had eaten, setting out for the eastern mountains to see what she could do today For Python and his soldiers. Half way there, her stomach turned. Something was wrong. Jay paused and looked around, the sky was a mix of blue sky and white clouds. The trees waved happily by the lively streams and the prey was on the move. The wind had lessened to a faint breeze that could just barely keep the sun's warmth from being too much. Nothing seemed to be out of place in nature.

But there was a tension in the air, a moodiness that Jay recognized as usually foreign to the valley. A change had occurred, that was all it could be. Jay debated whether to turn back and wait for things to calm down, whatever had happened, but she figured it would be better to know right away and continued to advance toward the mountain, feeling the tension grow with every stride.

As Jay reached the base of the mountain trail a cloud covered the sun, casting her in shadow. Out west she could still see the sunlight on the faraway mountainside, but even that light was being swallowed up by the gray clouds spreading across the sky. Now even nature was feeling moody.

With a pensive frown, Jay carefully picked her way up the trail. The cat scent was heavier than usual on the trail, as if more cats had come this way. And the slightly musky scent that was mixed in with the clear mountain cat scent alarmed Jay.

 _They couldn't have already gotten back, could they?_ Fear darkened her heart and for a moment she once more considered turning her back and saving this battle for a different day. _No, I have to get this sorted out as quickly as possible._ With faint heart and weak legs Jay dragged herself the rest of the way up the mountain. The scent trail didn't end at the tunnel but continued on to where the meetings were held and as she neared the cave the murmur of voices reached her.

Jay took a deep breath, hovering out of sight along the trail next to the cave entrance. She could see the gaping black rock that stunted the mountainside, a dark cavity that could not be filled. Jay pricked her ears, hoping vainly that her assumptions were wrong. She scowled as she recognized Spark's happy voice. _I hate always being right._

Jay stepped out in front of the cave entrance, her figure clearly silhouetted and looking into the darkness she was blind. But she stepped forward confidently, it was paramount that she did not betray her nervousness if she was going to convince any cat of her fabricated innocence.

"Jay," a low voice greeted her. It was Python's, but it was not as warm or respectful as the first time he had greeted her. Jay stepped toward him, her eyes picking up his dark shoulders and bright eyes even in the dark. For some reason, she felt like she was stepping into a den of foxes. Perfect silence, all eyes on her, malicious growling rumbling in throats, yes, a fitting allegory.

"Python, I didn't know you were having a meeting today," Jay mewed cheerfully, keeping her eyes on him.

"And I didn't know you were insolent enough to dare show your face to us again," a voice snarled behind her. Jay's ears flicked, it sounded like she'd have to play it cool in the face of fury.

She turned to face Silver. The she-cat didn't look much different from the last time Jay had seen her, the same ferociously appalled expression, though where there had been blood on her face last time, now an arced scar creased over her right eye.

Jay smiled politely, "I'm happy to see you finally made it to the mountains safely."

She could feel the atmosphere ripple, as if it were being separated between outrage and confusion, those who had seen her work and those who had only heard of it. Silver was clearly only on one side, the pale gray she-cat leaped for her, claws outstretched and reaching for her throat just as Jay had showed her not so long ago.

It was all Jay could help to not laugh. Silver's offensive attack wasn't so bad, but she had left herself completely open to attack, thinking nothing of defense. If Jay had cared, she could have sliced Silver open before the she-cat's attack could connect. But that was not what this situation called for.

Jay simply blocked the attack, knocking Silver's front paws away and letting her glide past her, so close to her that their fur brushed. Jay looked over her shoulder at Silver who spat, "I don't understand what I did to provoke that attack," she mewed, allowing her voice to drop to a sad tone. But her eyes were all for Silver, and she flashed the she-cat a discreet look of contempt.

"You betrayed us!" Silver hissed. Behind the silver she-cat Leaf lined up, looking less hostile but as angry as her fellow solider. All the other she-cats lined up behind them as well, each with a different degree of anger. Jay noticed Night looked the calmest of them all.

Jay tilted her head to one side, "And what did I do to betray your trust? I didn't even know I ever had it."

Silver glared at her. How much a look of fury changed a cat! The silver cat was no longer pretty, her features twisted in anger made her look more like a ravaging canine than a graceful feline. "We made a deal and you broke it," Leaf growled, the cream tabby she-cat looked hard-set and grim as she faced her.

Jay dipped her head in apparent shame, "I admit that I didn't hold my end of the bargain of helping you get to the mountains, but I didn't have the luxury of time. I had to get here before my kits came," Jay mewed, still with a lowered head, staring at the ground. The cats would be more sympathetic if they thought she had made a poor decision for the sake of others instead of for herself.

"You could have told us that, but you didn't. Plus, you used us to get into the mountains! We were almost killed!" Silver hissed, her anger had faded a little. But only just a little.

Jay jerked her head up, opening her mouth and widening her eyes to give a most convincing shocked expression. " _What are you talking about_?"

The absolute surprise in her voice sent the whole cave into silence and cats started giving Silver doubtful glances. Only Silver herself seemed undaunted, "I saw you during the battle! You didn't come help fight like in the plan, you fled up the mountain path while all the rogues were busy with us!"

Jay continued staring at Silver with her shocked expression. _Start out hesitantly, don't be too concerned over defending your actions. Instead, take it personally.._ "I-I would never do such a thing!" Jay made her voice high-pitched and flicked her gaze quickly from one cat to the other.

Now even Silver was looking confused, "I know I saw you..." the she-cat trailed off, murmurs were starting to echo around the cave.

Now Python stepped forward beside Silver. His eyes were clear and he still looked stern, he wasn't going to be swayed so easily. "If that is the case, how can you explain how you disappeared during the battle and then ended up in the mountains not long after?"

Jay looked at him and she allowed her shock to calm down. "During the battle I got chased away by one of the rogues. I decided to give up since there was no way we'd be defeating the rogues anytime soon and I started searching for another route up into the mountains. I found one that was a little bit north of where the pass was and that's how I ended up here." After doing some investigation, Amelia had found that there was indeed another way into the mountains, a small, precarious trail that was just past the Ivy Cats borders to the north west. The path existed and no cat could say which one she entered the valley through.

Python frowned, "There is that path, but it is hard to find if you don't know about it. And it is extremely dangerous for a large group, but one cat might manage it."

"But there were two of you, wasn't there?" Spark spoke up, her green eyes flashing toward her. "Where's Amelia?"

Jay shook her head, "We were only traveling together. Once we got to the mountains we split up. I don't think she wanted to stay in the valley. I don't know where she is," Jay mewed and she refused to give up anymore information about Amelia.

Python sat back on his haunches at the end of a long interrogation. Jay had been careful to keep her story straight and they had failed to convict her. Even Silver looked willing to admit that the crime she had accused Jay of was exaggerated.

"But the fact still remains," Python mewed, "That you chose to help yourself over others. Your kits may be important, but if you have to lie and deceive for them, than I am not sure I can trust you."

Jay dropped her head, "I was desperate and I wasn't thinking clearly. I know now that I can be loyal to both you and my kits."

"You may say that now, but what if you're in a position where you have to choose the safety of our cause or that of your kits? I am not convinced that you'd make the right choice, after all, a mother's first instinct is to protect her kits," Python mewed, he didn't sound angry anymore, in fact, he sounded consoling.

Jay kept her eyes downcast, _of course I'd choose my kits over them in a heartbeat. But I can't let them think that._ "Will you give me a chance? To prove my loyalty?" Jay asked.

"I don't know if you deserve a chance. Look, we aren't going to target you. We may just decide to exclude you from our activities. This way you can focus on being a mother," Python's voice was gentle and he didn't seem to be malicious. _But I need to have a paw in this! I can't let you decide my life without me having a say in it!_

"Please!" Jay raised her eyes imploringly. "I want to help, this cause means so much to me!"

Murmurs passed through the cats, some positive, some negative. Jay noticed that Grass was staying strictly silent. "I think she reserves a chance," Jay looked up in surprise to see Screech, her wide blue eyes staring at her and her face carefully blank of emotion.

Jay dipped her head thankfully toward the she-cat and turned hopefully back toward Python. The brown tom seemed strained, showing for the first time the weight of leadership upon his shoulders. "Jay, if I test your loyalty you may not be so grateful. It will be a dangerous task to both you and your kits. You should know I'm not forcing this on you, if you refuse you can live peacefully in the valley like any other cat. But if you accept this mission and carry it out faithfully, I swear to welcome you as a top member of my soldiers," Python mewed.

Jay hesitated although she already knew what her answer would be, the weight of it was like a blow to her head. "I accept."

* * *

**... Amelia's POV...**

Amelia lifted her head, her sleek black fur rippled in the wind and her tail waved behind her as she stood at the top of a hill, looking back over the valley. The waves of grass, the bouncing green bunches of trees, and the clear blue streams woven together into a plump visage. _I wonder how Jay is faring?_

She snickered to herself, she'd witnessed for herself Leaf and the others' return. And they hadn't kept Jay's trick a secret. As she'd watched from a dark cleft, animosity had grown like a black storm cloud against Jay. But Jay hadn't told her to warn her when they returned, so why should she go through the trouble of telling her?

Besides, Amelia turned her face into the wind, Jay could probably talk herself out of death's grasp if she put her mind to it. _She's an incredibly amusing cat. So clever and yet so foolish._ Amelia's current job was to investigate the Ivy Cats, giving Jay aid of any sort was not in her itinerary.

Presently, Amelia stood on the northeast mountain side in the Ivy Cats territory. She'd spent a lot of time here recently and she found the quiet hills peaceful. No cat lived here and the Ivy Cats rarely came this way because of the tricky terrain in getting here. Between the green hill she sat on and the rest of the valley was a gulf, a good jump across might save you from a break-neck fall.

But Amelia had found a different place to cross where the jump was only two tail-lengths across, so getting across was no problem. On the valley side of the gulf the ground was torn up a foot lower than the ground of the rest of the valley and it was raked with coarse brown dirt with no vegetation at all, as if the land had been sliced clean away. And the only prey to be found there was a few stray birds looking for worms in the dirt.

Amelia closed her eyes and pricked her ears, distant murmurs coming to her. Endless babbling against a black drop, it irritated her that it never left. Was it too much to wish for a quiet world? She just wanted perfect silence, but that wish would never come true. So why did it remain in her heart? There was nothing as infuriating as a wish that you can't make come true and you can't leave behind.

But right now, there was one murmuring that interested her. It was different than the others, a softer, sweeter voice that even as she ridiculed it in her mind, her heart reached out for it. Ever since that night when Jay had looked at her with such destitute fear she'd been on her guard for oddities. But this was far beyond her.

 _Still, I ought to check it out. After all, I told Jay I'd look into it._ With a sigh she headed in the direction the murmur came from. Up a grassy trail she headed deeper into the mountain, the grass turning more sparse and sharp rocks piercing her soft paws.

But the murmur grew louder and Amelia crept stealthily along the shadows of the mountainside. Now the murmur was joined by others, what was this? By now she should be able to hear the voices, the words should be clear. But it remained in a foggy echo that both annoyed and interested Amelia, tempting her onward until she felt sick of the voice's loveliness.

"Stop!" a sharp hiss jerked her out of the voice's grip. By reflex, Amelia whirled around, knocked the cat to the ground and pinned it to the ground with a corresponding thump to the cat's shocked face, she unsheathed her claws, angry that in her trance she had let her guard down. The fast-breathing cat that had interrupted her stalking was an orange tom with gray eyes. His chest rose and fell in swift pants and his eyes were wide with fear, no, more like surprise.

"Let me up!" the tom hissed, recovering from his fright quickly, his gray eyes narrowed but he didn't look angry. Amelia twitched her ears, this cat had an air about him that was oddly familiar.

"You're an Ivy Cat?" Amelia mewed suspiciously, wondering why his voice seemed familiar. _Have I heard him in my investigations before?_

The tom nodded quickly, and Amelia backed off, letting the tom regain his footing. "I'm busy, move out," Amelia growled, prodding him back to where the valley lay. The trail she had taken had led up into the mountains so that the valley now lay far below.

"I didn't follow you by accident," the tom mewed, now much more confident with his paws on the ground, "I came to stop you, going this way will only give you trouble," he warned.

Amelia was silent, she didn't care. In fact, she had been so bored the last few days that she might welcome trouble. But then she remembered that sickly luscious voice, "What's up there and why did you want to follow me?" Amelia asked, jerking her dark muzzle up into the mountains.

The tom dipped his head, "My name is Ash, who I am and what I do are of no importance."

Amelia almost snorted, so this is the furball Jay asked me to investigate a while back. _I know exactly who he is now, and I understand why Jay doesn't like him. The two are birds of a feather, but I'd say Jay is better at thinking on her paws._ "But what's up there?" she repeated. He was an informant, so he ought to inform her.

"Nothing good," Ash warned. "I can't tell you what exactly, but I'm telling you that if you go up there uninvited you'll never be the same again," with that the orange tom turned and started down the trail, much to Amelia's annoyance. He paused and looked back at her after going a few steps, "Don't get involved with things you can't understand."

Amelia's tail tip twitched, she had been born unable to understand herself. Not understanding was not something she was afraid of and as soon as the tom had disappeared she turned her paws back up the trail. Her ears pricked for those drugging murmurs.

Amelia frowned, she was unsettled. How long had it been since those sickly butterflies had last visited her before now? But she was nervous, the fur prickling along her spine and a cold sweat coated her. Amelia paused as the murmurs grew louder, she could practically hear the words, it wouldn't be far now.

She rounded a turn on the mountain tail. The faint path ahead became shrouded in shadow, in front of the shadows stood a gray stone archway, like a gateway into a forbidden world. Amelia's heartbeat skyrocketed, the murmurs undoubtedly came from beyond the archway, echoing along the stone ravine. Words she couldn't understand, sounds she didn't comprehend. Gosh she was nervous.

* * *

Amelia blinked open her eyes, her mind muggy as she found herself staring up at a black and silver belted sky. She lay on her back in the green grass, the comforting sound of a sluggish stream and the rustle of leaves sounded nearby in the dark. She was back in the valley.

 _What happened?_ She remembered stepping underneath the stone archway, heart in her throat. And then, then nothing. It all went dark, now she was waking up in the valley with no knowledge of how she got here or what had happened, but her whole body ached.

Amelia sat up, by the sound of it, she was just past the Ivy Cats borders, near her and Jay's den. _But what happened?_ She frowned and concentrated, trying to remember something, anything. But nothing came to her, it was as if her life had skipped from one moment to the next, no knowledge at all about what had transpired between those two moments.

It wasn't until she tried to stand that she realized she was shaking, _why_? Worried, she looked herself over, she didn't appear to be injured even though her body was heavy with exhaustion. Had she been drugged? Poisoned? No, there was no taste in her mouth or any other side effects.

When she tried to take a deep breath to steady herself and felt it catch in her throat, she realized she was terrified. _Scared of what? Does my body remember what my mind has forgotten?_ There was no answer to her questions and only when she had given herself time to rest was she able to get to her paws and stumble her way home.

 _I bet Jay will have an idea, she'll know what to make of this._ But when she reached the den, it was empty and dark. And, from the scent of it, Jay hadn't been there since at least sun-high. Amelia's heart fell, that's right, she had to deal with Leaf's return today. _I hope she'll make it back here soon, I could really use her help in all of this. What should I do about this?_

Snorting to herself at her own helplessness, Amelia curled down in her nest and watched the entrance with sharp eyes. She couldn't imagine sleeping right now and she felt that staying awake would bring Jay back sooner. But dawn came and still the she-cat had not returned. _Should I go look for her?_

Amelia dismissed the thought, if Jay was being kept at Python's, then Jay certainly didn't want her to show up when they were supposed to be strangers to those cats. And it'd be especially bad if Leaf or any of the other she-cats were there.

 _I'll just have to wait for her to come back on her own._ Amelia shifted in her nest and closed her eyes, finally prepared to get some sleep. As her breathing deepened a fresh chill came over her and she felt her mouth go dry. A coarse voice sounded in her ear, " _Get Out_."


	11. Infiltration

"This is madness!"

"I'm inclined to agree..." Jay grumbled, wondering how in the world she'd ended up where she was now. Walking alongside a clear stream, a fresh breeze in her ears, following an agitated orange tom who seemed to have been pushed across his line and was muttering curses as he stomped along. Yes, it wasn't quite the image she'd had in mind for her future that morning.

"What was Python thinking?! Sending you to spy! I give him all the information he needs, what could you possibly do that I can't?" Ash snarled, whirling around suddenly to face her, standing so close that Jay could feel his seething breath on her muzzle.

Jay coughed, shrugged, and twitched her ears; he was in a foul mood, not that she blamed him. She was no happier about her current situation than Ash, but at least she could hide her emotions. Inwardly she was plotting how she would get her revenge for this, but for now, she had to remain quiet and do as she was asked.

The task Python had given her was to infiltrate the ranks of the Ivy Cats and find out their deepest secrets and weaknesses, if she could find something to bring them down then her transgression would be forgiven and she would be considered a senior soldier in his ranks. _Although, I'm surprised he saw my qualities so clearly._ Spying was a bit of a hobby of hers, though she didn't do it very often, she was rather good at blending in and finding information. Being tasked to gather more troops would have been much more challenging.

After she had been given the mission yesterday, Python had insisted that she stay the night; so she had been unable to return to her den and unable meet up with Amelia one last time. She wasn't worried though, Amelia was spying on the Ivy Cats already, so they'd see each other sooner than later. The problem now was Ash, since Python knew he was familiar with the art of gathering information, he was to help her infiltrate and keep an eye on her for Python. Usually Jay would object to this since Ash would be the only link between her and Python and she wasn't comfortable putting such power in his paws, but luckily for her, he wasn't the only one with new power in his paws.

"Look," Ash growled, backing up a pace and making a considerable effort to calm himself, though his whiskers still quivered with tension. "I don't want to do this. And you don't either, right? So, let's make a deal," Ash growled.

Jay twitched her ears, "I'm listening." Not really, I wouldn't go along with your plans if it were the only way to save my life.

"I can put extra effort into my spying and find you all the information you'll need to give to Python. Then you can just hide up in the mountains until the time is up and can tell Python the information I gave you. He'll never be the wiser about who it came from and then you won't have to put yourself in a dangerous position. Or your kits," Ash's gray eyes had that smoky look again.

Jay's gaze flashed, "A tempting offer, but I'll refuse," she mewed contemptuously, stalking past him, head held high. "If I did that then I'd practically be giving myself up to you. Sorry, but I have a stronger sense of self-preservation then that. I can infiltrate their ranks on my own."

Ash scowled, "You're dead-set on this?"

Jay raised her chin to stare him in the eye, "Obviously."

Ash let out a long sigh, "Python told me just to show you where the Ivy Cats are, but things are going to be a bit more complicated then that."

Because you're one of them? But she couldn't risk saying that out loud yet, plus, it would do her no good. They paused at the Ivy Cats border. There was no landmark or anything, the stream kept flowing toward them and the green grass didn't change color or softness.

"Alright, let's go," Ash sighed, stepping beyond the border. Jay kept close behind him, walking in silence until she was sure that the cats Python had sent to follow them had stopped at the border. Now I can talk to him openly.

"How am I going to get in?" Jay asked.

Ash snorted, "You don't already have a plan?"

"Of course I do, but I supposed that you may have some more insight since you're already with the Ivy Cats," Jay mewed.

Ash flicked his tail, "I had a feeling you knew," he scowled. "So you also know how difficult this is going to be for the two of us?"

Jay nodded, pausing to hop over a rabbit hole, "Though perhaps I would understand better how difficult it'll be if you tell me exactly what is with the she-cats in your group."

Ash continued walking quickly, his tail twitching impatiently as he debated with himself. "I suppose you'll find out eventually anyways, let's sit down and work this out while I tell you all about it." He mewed, leading her to a clover patch in the sun where he laid down, rolling onto his back and leaving his belly exposed.

Jay's paws twitched, sitting sedately next to him and wondering how he made himself vulnerable to her so easily. Of course, he knows that I need him right now so he has no reason to fear. Jay flexed her claws angrily, but I won't need him for forever, so he should watch his back.

"First off, you're going to have to be willing to do some..." Ash trailed off as if searching for the right word, "Demeaning things?"

Jay twitched her tail, a first twinge of anxiety pricking at her, if Ash was embarrassed for her, how awful was this? "Elaborate," she ordered.

Ash sighed and closed his eyes, "Here's the plan..."

* * *

"This is it," Ash mewed, pausing in front of her.

Jay raised her gaze from the ground and padded up until she was shoulder to shoulder with him, tilting her head back. The ground sloped up sharply against the mountain, the terrain was loose dirt and the stream they had followed flowed down the mountainside like a ribbon of water. About a quarter way up the mountain, still along the stream, there was an inward cleft and a thick covering of ivy covered the spot, the long tendrils flowing in the breeze but they were too thick for her to see what was beyond them. That must be their cave.

"Remember what I told you," Ash hissed.

Jay scowled at him and took a step back letting him be a step in front of her. This is probably the stupidest thing I've ever heard of. _Now I understand why Python loathes these cats, but I don't understand how any cat can live like this!_

However, it was a little relief to know that the responsibility of getting in now rested in Ash's paws. She also got the feeling that at least as far as the other Ivy Cats were concerned, her freedom was about to be in Ash's paws. "Since you're a newcomer, they won't expect you to know all the rules right away. You'll probably be trained and that will tell you how to act, okay?" Ash mewed.

He raised a paw to take a step and then hesitated, glancing back at her again. "Also, because you're carrying kits, they probably won't seriously hurt you," Ash added with a 'good-luck' smile before starting up the trail.

Jay followed him, head and tail raised in confidence, she could do this. She could get through one moon like this, she had to. "Put your head and tail down! Pretend to be useless!" Ash hissed back at her, his gray eyes were just a little pale with a touch of anxiety. He frowned after she lowered her head and tail, proceeding to mimic a helpless kit on the ground, sniveling on her stomach. "Just try to look meek," Ash ordered,

Jay gave a loud sigh and dipped her head, getting back to her paws and looking up through Ash's legs and letting her tail float over the ground. But she cocked her ears to the side to keep a good awareness of what was around her. Fear wormed its way into her belly as Ash stepped behind the airborne stream onto the little cleft of gray rock that stuck out on the right end of the ivy covering. But she curled her claws and crushed her fear, stepping in behind Ash.

This was it, she thought as she slid past the ivy, this would be her reality for the next moon. Ash had stopped ahead of her and was already busy answering questions as they were immediately surrounded, someone must have spotted us coming up the mountains. Jay followed his earlier instructions and stopped behind him so that her head didn't go past his shoulders and kept her eyes downward and her paws close together.

But she wasn't absent-minded, she estimated that there were at least a Clans worth of cats in here and she only heard male voices. The lighting was dim, but it wasn't completely dark, the light that permeated the ivy vines was a crystalline green and the floor of the den seemed to be made of cobblestone in various shades of gray.

"Ash, who is this?" one voice rose over the others and Jay impulsively had to look up. The speaker was a large black tom, the largest mountain cat she'd yet seen and perhaps the size of a full-grown ThunderClan tom. Looking closely, Jay saw that he had brown ears and paws and orange-amber eyes. But his stiff movements and the white on his muzzle betrayed his age. He looks even older than Rainstone.

Jay also noticed that all eyes were on Ash, who was dipping his head coolly and respectfully to the black tom. "Night," Ash mewed.

"Ash, who is this she-cat you've brought back with you?" Night mewed gravely, but he didn't give her a glance.

Ash raised his head, his gray eyes were smoky again. "She's my mate."

Jay nearly winced, even though it was the smoothest way they'd been able to come up with for getting her in, it was still insulting to have to pretend to be his mate. But she fixed her eyes firmly on the ground and tried not to scratch her claws against the stone.

Ash's words were met by curious murmurs and Jay was a bit annoyed that they accepted his word so easily. In the Clans, if a warrior showed up with a rogue as a mate there would be a riot! "And I see she's carrying your kits?" Night mewed, for the first time looking at her, but mostly at her belly.

Jay stole another look at the old black tom. Night was looking at her hazily, his eyes uninterested. Finally he shrugged, "She's your responsibility now. And I want you to remember, just because there are no she-cats to give you, that doesn't mean you should make such a decision on your own. Your father is displeased," Night added. Then he turned and padded away with high authority. _So that's it? I'm in?_ Jay felt a bit incredulous at the simplicity.

The cats around them mostly dispersed, a couple of them congratulated Ash and a few joshed with her, brushing up against her and tickling her ears, to which she answered with firm silence until they left. When they were alone by the entrance once more Jay raised her head to look evenly at Ash, "At least the hard part's over," she mewed, feeling she ought to apologize for the trouble she was causing him, not that she felt obligated to thank him.

Ash turned away from her, "You only hope it was, your battle hasn't even begun yet," he muttered.

Jay followed him as he started to wander around, she kept her steps small and her head down, but she infused in her mind everything around her. There seemed to be several dens, all tunnels that probably led to caves inside the mountain. The one closest to the Ivy curtain on the left smelled of milk and must have been the nursery, except there was another one on the right further back that also smelled of milk. "I don't suppose a tour is too much to ask for?" Jay muttered.

Ash paused and looked back at her, "Don't ask for anything," he ordered, "At least not in the hearing range of others," he amended as she glared at him. "I'll give you a tour now and explain some things," he mewed.

They padded up to a large den with a wall of rock running down the middle, separating it into two separate sides. "This side of the den," he signaled to the right, "Is the fighters side- and the left is-"

"The hunters side," Jay finished, she already knew the cats were broken into two groups.

"Just listen," Ash snapped.

"Only when you start telling me stuff I don't already know, I can tell that one side smells more like prey and one smells more like rock and wind. Instead, tell me what it's used for," Jay snapped back.

Ash's eyes flashed with a smoldering fury and Jay was taken aback at how angry he had gotten, this must really be working his nerves, interesting. "Shut up and sit pretty, right now your safety depends on me and my reputation here depends on you. So you'd better make a good effort to follow our rules!" Ash hissed.

Jay purred and curled her tail, "Alright, darling, please continue with the tour so that I won't be so lost in this big, dark cave," she mewed sweetly and sarcastically

Ash ignored her for a few moments, "Only because there's nothing better to do. On the right side of the wall- so, this wall- you can see that this is the first den, next is the trainee den- those are the cats who are in training, both hunter and fighter trainee share that den- then the fighters kit-den, and up against the back wall on the right is the fighters leader den," Ash mewed, pointing at each dark tunnel with his tail.

"And Night is that leader of the fighters?" Jay asked. Ash nodded. "So you're a fighter?" Jay hummed, looking over Ash. He wasn't skinny, but he wasn't incredibly muscular, he looked more speedy than burly and between that and the lack of any scars she probably would have guessed that he was a hunter.

Ash snorted, "I may not look it, but there's not a cat I couldn't beat," he promised.

Jay hummed again, unconvinced, "We'll see."

"On the left side, first you have the hunters nursery, the herb den- which both sides also share- and then the leader of the hunters den is against the back wall opposite of the den of the fighters' leader," Ash mewed.

Jay nodded slowly, frowning, "So you have a medicine-cat?" she asked, looking at the herb den. Amelia said that she saw she-cats gathering herbs...

"A medicine-cat?" Ash looked at her with wide eyes and then shook his head, "No, all the she-cats know how to heal. They take care of their mates when they get sick."

"What if a she-cat gets sick?" Jay asked.

Ash shrugged, "Her mate can ask the leader's she-cat for help or he can let her take care of herself. She's his responsibility."

Jay felt even more confused then ever before, "So the toms really do look down on she-cats?" she asked, she had thought for sure Python was exaggerating some misunderstanding, but what she was being told was pretty bad.

Ash looked away, "Now you understand why so many cats hate them."

Jay watched Ash carefully, was he embarrassed for his kin? Did he hate them too? Then why didn't he try to change something within? And why did it feel like he was helping Python for more than just one simple reason? "Ash! Looks like you went and did something silly again!" Jay nearly jerked her head up at the speaker but at the last second realized it was male and settled for a discreet glance.

"I guess I did," Ash mewed, his voice returning to a more smooth tone as before.

"She's a pretty thing, not as small as mine but she looks fine," the tom mewed approvingly. Jay felt annoyed that he was inspecting her like a piece of prey, but she was confused that there was no abuse in his tone. It was like he didn't even know he was insulting her.

The tom was a large black and brown tom, nearly as large as Night, and he had shining amber eyes that matched the leader. _His son?_ He was looking straight at Ash, a lop-sided grin on his face. Quite different from the stern old leader she'd seen earlier.

"But you know..." the black tom continued when Ash didn't respond, he looked at her again and she was careful to avoid eye contact, after all, she was playing a shy, humble cat right now. _My brother would laugh himself to death if he saw this,_ and Jay had to twitch her whiskers in slight amusement of the picture.

"She looks a little like Rainfall, don't you think?" the black tom mewed, nudging Ash.

Jay shot a quick glance at Ash but he was frowning, "Not really..." the orange tom mewed.

"Hey! Olive!" the black tom called out across the cave and a young pale gray tom with pale green eyes headed over to them.

"What is it, Pine?" the gray tom sounded respectful but a little too stiff to be friendly.

Pine brushed up against her, curling his tail around her neck and pulling her against his side, she glanced up at his smiling face, he acted like he owned her. "Don't you think she looks like your mate?"

Jay twitched her ears, so Rainfall was this tom's mate? She felt a twinge in her belly, wasn't Rainstone from the mountains? She didn't know if she had been with the Ivy cats or not, but it was possible that Rainstone may have shared some ancestors with these cats, _and I look a lot like Rainstone, so we really could share blood, no matter how distant._

The thought that she shared something in common with these cats was almost sickening. But despite that, Jay found that she was almost curious, who did she look like, and could she use this to her advantage? Meanwhile, Olive was looking at her carefully, looking a little less irked. "They do seem to share some traits. Wait here for a moment."

The gray tom bounded over to the herb den and shouted for a cat into the tunnel. A few moments later he trotted back with a dainty she-cat behind him. Pine stepped away from her and Ash took a step forward, blocking a bit of her view, or rather, blocking a bit of the others view of her.

But Jay saw enough to know that they hadn't been compared to each other without reason. Rainfall had the same dark gray fur with the iridescent blue tint, and her eyes were dark-nearly black- just as hers were; but Rainfall's eyes were dark amber. However, Rainfall was smaller, closer to Rainstone's size, but with a more slender figure. And she didn't have the usual mountain-cat characteristics, her ears were softly rounded and she had a finely shaped face while her paws were as petite as her figure would suggest. She truly was beautiful and her soft expression made her even more lovely.

So, comparatively, the two of them were alike. But Rainfall was far more beautiful than she was. Of course, loveliness didn't matter much to Jay. She already knew love so she wasn't concerned about it, but it annoyed her a little that the three toms in front of her seemed to consider Rainfall superior to her because she was more beautiful.

I've met a lot of idiots in my life, but never have I met such absolute fools! Jay sighed, it could work to her favor, she reasoned. If cats chose to ignore her, it'd be easier to move unobserved. "Oh, and what is your mate's name?" Olive asked, looking at Ash. He seemed much warmer to Ash than to Pine.

"Oh," Ash sounded surprised, as if he hadn't realized he hadn't mentioned it yet. The smoky gaze came back to his eyes and Jay almost growled, he'd better not get any smart ideas. Ash sighed, as if he understood her warning gaze, "Her name is Jay."

"Hmm, Jay, it isn't a very pretty name," Pine pondered, "But I kind of like it, it's unique."

Jay nodded her head in thanks, though she wasn't so sure it was truly a compliment. "Well," Pine mewed, stepping away with Olive and Rainfall behind him, "It looks like Night's coming over so you better prepare yourself. Don't worry, he won't be too hard on ya," Pine reassured Ash who had a worried look on his face- though Jay could tell it was fake.

Ash dipped his head and mumbled something as the trio left and Jay turned her attention to Night as he approached. An old she-cat was at his side, her long white fur tinged with gray made her like like a ball of fog but her sharp yellow eyes cut through the fuzziness like the scorching sun.

"That's Tinge, Night's mate. She'll probably teach you all you need to know," Ash murmured, "Remember to be respectful!" He added in a hiss.

"Sounds like you want to impress them," Jay mewed.

"He's my leader, of course I don't want him to hate me. And now because I had to bring you here, all my hard work to have him warm up to me may be washed away," Ash growled, "Now stop making this more difficult then it needs to be and follow my orders."

Jay shrugged, "You seem pretty well liked anyways, I'm kind of surprised you didn't get punished sooner for bringing me here so suddenly."

"Most cats can do what they like as long as it doesn't interfere with their duties or the rules. But since this does bend some rules, Night will probably give me some kind of reprimand in private," Ash explained.

"How nice of him," she murmured. Night stopped in front of them, his gaze on Ash.

"If you're okay with it, I'll have Tinge take care off your mate and educate her in our customs," Night mewed, though his tone left little room for argument.

Jay watched him curiously as he gave a few instructions to Ash, nothing more than a light reprimand that an apprentice might get who fell asleep on a hunting patrol. However, from the way Ash listened seriously to him, he seemed to be a successful leader. Respected, headed, wielding ample authority, and yet, even in his old age, his gaze suggested dissatisfaction. As if he had been caught in a trap too young and been unable to break free of it.

Ash, however, didn't pause to think of his leader in that way and nobly accepted the punishment, flattering Night in the process. "Thank you for sharing your wisdom with me," Ash mewed, dipping his head.

Jay's tail twitched as she caught the scorn in Ash's eye. Come to think of it, Ash doesn't seem to really have any friends, besides Pine maybe, I wonder how he came to hate the cats he was raised by. From what I've seen, the toms seem to believe the lie they are fed, so why is he different, and more importantly, why doesn't he just tell Python that he's a member of the Ivy Cats and that's how he gets his information? Jay stared at Ash, analyzing the smooth mew and the cool tilt of his head, the cold light of fury behind his smoky gaze nearly turned her paws cold.

Well, it doesn't concern me, Jay turned away from that mess hole and looked at Night again. She nearly jumped to see him staring right at her, his amber eyes vacant with disbelief. Tinge was looking at her as well, a bit of a frown creased her dignified old face and she looked at Night expectantly, as if waiting for him to say something.

"Your name is Jay?" Night mewed, his tone was gentler than it had been with Ash.

Jay nodded her head, pulling her paws closer together. "Did Ash warn you about our rules?" Night asked, nearly apologetic.

Jay tilted her head, "No, but I'm well aware of the ideology here."

Night looked at her in disbelief for a moment, then shrugged. "Tinge, take care of her. Ash, please come with me," the large black tom led Ash away to the leader's den. I hope he gets a real punishment in there.

Jay was left alone with Tinge, for the first time nervousness washed over her. Before now, she hadn't had to do a thing besides looking meek and be quiet, Ash had done all the work. But now her own challenges began. Tinge looked at her with the stern, pensive frown, as if waiting for something.

"Hello," Jay mewed, dipping her head, "My name is-"

"I know what your name is," Tinge interrupted, for a cat so old, her voice was still sweet and soft.

Jay's tail twitched, that one action and now recognized who Tinge was. Cats like her decided upon seeing you whether they liked you or not, and you had to be incredibly convincing to change their minds. However, she-cats had no power here it seemed, so it would not benefit Jay in any way to be in her good graces. Tinge could think what she liked and Jay didn't care.

"Well?" Jay mewed, "Are you going to 'take care' of me?"

Tinge looked at her disdainfully for a moment, "Don't take that tone with me, my mate is a leader. And your mate is the youngest fighter besides the Trainees."

So she-cats get ranked based on their mates? Jay dipped her head again, "Sorry, would you please do as you were instructed?" she mewed dryly.

Tinge narrowed her eyes before she turned away abruptly, muttering, "Young cats have no respect nowadays."

Jay followed her happily, trotting pertly at her paws, but making sure she kept her tail down and her head even with her shoulders. Tinge led her across the cave to where the herb den was, the tunnel was short and dark but opened up into a large, round den.

Jay looked around, white sunlight broke through a few cracks and illuminated the dusty herb den. Jay coughed at the dust, looking around closely. The back wall of the den was full of clefts and niches, most of them filled with herbs, but a few were vacant. The scent of herbs was pungent and Jay had trouble breathing the thick scent after getting used to the clear mountain air.

A column of rock stood to the left off of the wall and water dripped down, pooling around it. On the wall behind the column, moss grew in thick, green clumps. It is an ideal place for tending the sick, Jay admitted, but she hoped she wouldn't have to learn how to heal. I always thought it was a boring job.

"This is where the she-cats keep their herbs. We restock them every few days and keep them fresh," Tinge mewed, padding over to a lower level cleft that was nearly overflowing with herbs.

Jay coughed on the dust and the herb scent, "Not fresh enough," she murmured.

Tinge either did not hear her or ignored her. "I'll start showing you the herbs. Most she-cats learn all the herbs before they're seven moons, so you'll have some catching up to do," Tinge continued.

Jay padded up behind her, rather confused. "I'm sorry, but why do I need to learn this? Aren't there plenty of she-cats that already know how to heal?"

Tinge turned to look at her, yellow eyes wide. "Why yes, but it is your responsibility to take care of your mate, and your kits," Tinge mewed, nodding at her swollen belly.

Jay shuffled her paws, "I still don't understand."

Tinge gave an exaggerated sigh, "I suppose there's no help but to explain everything to you."

"Oh, don't even bother," Jay's fur prickled at the new voice. "She's just a rogue, she wouldn't be able to remember where her tail was if it wasn't always following her."

Jay closed her eyes and sighed, Is there no place free of morons?! "That's quite funny, Rainfall," Jay mewed, turning to greet the she-cat, having recognized her by scent. "Are you going to entertain me from now on?" Jay asked, grinning at the scowling she-cat.

Rainfall padded past her to get to the herb wall and didn't spare her a glance, "Tinge, I feel slightly unpleasant today, can you imagine why?"

"Rainfall," Tinge mewed sternly and Jay pricked her ears. "She can't help that she was born a rogue and she is now Ash's mate and technically a member of the mountain cats now. So we should be patient with her as she adjusts to this new life." Well, thanks Tinge, Jay thought, slightly irritated about their assumptions.

The dark gray she-cat was silent, but Jay could tell it was only respect for Tinge that kept the she-cat from sneering at her again. "Well, I'm going to see if Olive will take me out. Have fun going over herbs," Rainfall mewed cheerfully, but she sneered at Jay behind Tinge's back.

Jay watched her go, what's her problem? No, it's best not to get involved. "Please, tell me more about this place," Jay encouraged, this pitiful place.

Tinge went on a long tirade about the mountain cats' ancestry, talking all about how the cats had come to this mountain and founded their own home all alone in this valley. "But then strife came about when two she-cats were leaders. They both loved the same tom and used their power to lead the hunters and fighters against each other in war. They killed each other in the battle, and many others lost their lives that day as well. After that tragedy, two wise brothers came to rule, one on both side and they came to a just conclusion; She-cats are not fit to rule. Over time more changes have been made with the purpose of giving the she-cat her perfect position in cave-life."

Jay stared at Tinge as if she were crazy, I hope not all these cats are so dumb. Do they all just believe that stupid lie? "In addition," Tinge continued, "In the spirit of tradition, once every generation, the daughter of one leader is given to the son of another leader, to unite the hunters and fighters and keep civil strife away."

Jay rolled her eyes, how stupid. But then she tilted her head, "So you mentioned that the she-cat has her 'rightful' position, what is that exactly?"

Tinge looked at her in shock, "Well, if the toms fight and hunt, then our duty must be to care, right? We care for our mates, we care for the sick if called upon, and we care for and raise our kits."

Jay twitched her tail, "So every she-cat has to learn how to heal?" she asked. Tinge nodded. "But wouldn't it be more efficient if you just had a small group of healers, and the rest helped hunt and fight as well? At least hunt, since that's the most daily necessity."

Tinge shook her head vigorously, "Such talk is not welcome here. Toms do the dangerous work, we do the easy work."

What's easy about learning all these herbs and raising kits? My mother surely never felt like she got an easy life. But Jay sighed and held in her thoughts, she only had to put up with this for a moon, she could get through it without going crazy.

"How much do you know about herbs?" Tinge asked, reaching into the cleft and pulling out piles of leaves, roots, and berries.

Jay shifted on her paws, "I know what some useful herbs look like," she offered. She also knew how to treat mild fevers, stop bleeding, and other basic things- her mother had often helped out with gathering herbs so she'd learned a little. But that had been down in the forest, things could be different here, so she really knew nothing.

Tinge snorted, "At least that's a start. Didn't your mother ever show you any useful herbs when you were little? I know you're rogues, but still, don't you have to take care of yourself?" the old cat went on.

Jay leaned over the herbs and sniffed suspiciously. "We also have to hunt and fight for ourselves," she mewed quietly.

Tinge was quiet as well, looking at her. "You shouldn't let the others know about that. No good will come of it," the gray tinged cat mewed crisply.

Jay ignored her, "And my mother was blind, so she didn't really show us much," she added.

"Oh," Tinge frowned, as if she couldn't imagine, and the conversation was dropped. Tinge showed her all the herbs she had in store, but after the first four Jay's head was spinning from trying to memorize all the different scents, names, and uses of the herbs.

"That's it for today. Night may give you a trainer to teach you. If not, expect to have me teach you everything," Tinge mewed, putting all the herbs back into their dusty shelf.

"Why you?" Jay yawned.

"Because I'm the leader's mate. It makes me the head of all the other fighter's mates and so I have the responsibility of making sure all the she-cats are capable to heal and I take care of toms that don't have a mate," the she-cat mewed, not looking at her.

"I'm hungry, when do we eat here?" Jay asked, getting to her paws and stretching each leg in turn.

"We eat when our mates bring us food," Tinge answered.

"What? We can't hunt and we can't even get some from the pile our self?" Jay snorted.

"No, we can't. The toms hunt for the food and protect us, so they get top priority," Tinge mewed.

"But aren't there Queens feeding kits?" Jay asked.

"Of course, but it still falls on the tom to provide food for his family. Don't question it, just go along with it and you'll be fine," Tinge sighed.

"You said that about a lot of things," Jay scowled. Such things as not talking unless spoken too, not leaving the cave without your mate or with a male member of your family, no loving any tom besides your mate, and no complaining. A lot of things she couldn't do, and the things she could do were even worse. Do as your mate tells you, fulfill your duties as healer, mate, and queen. What a dull life these cats must have. The poor morons must be so bored they can't even think for themselves anymore.

"Well, I'm going to find Ash," She mewed, turning to leave the tunnel.

"You should wait for him to find you," Tinge sighed.

"Maybe some other time," Jay mewed, padding out of the den and through the short tunnel. Stepping out into the main cave, she looked around for Ash's orange pelt among the few others in the cave. She spotted him in a group of toms and she-cats that were sharing an evening meal, the reddish glow of the setting sun warming their fur as they sat by the entrance, the water of the stream sparkling amber in the light.

Jay padded up to them while they were distracted and sat silently next to Ash who was sitting in the back. "So you're a bit of a loner tonight, that's not like you," Jay murmured.

Ash didn't respond at first, his eyes trained on the glow of the setting sun, "I'm a little tired after today, and I don't exactly search for attention in my line of work." He turned his head, a frown troubling his face as he looked out at the eastern mountains.

"Are you going to finish that?" Jay asked as her stomach rumbled again, nodding at his half-eaten squirrel.

"What?" Ash jumped, his eyes wide as if he had been thinking of something else. Jay nodded again at the squirrel at his paws. "Oh, no, you can finish it," he mewed, nudging it over to her.

"Thank you," Jay mewed, ducking down to rip at the soft meat. Looking around at the surrounding faces, she felt a prickle of unease. The toms talked jovially, and the she-cats smiled and purred happily. It was all so peaceful, pleasant, and fake. It made Jay's skin crawl just to watch.

As the sun sank, the talk remained upon old battle stories of how this tom had beat that and how that tom outran this. "This is going nowhere fast, let's go to sleep," Jay whispered in Ash's ear, disappointed that they weren't talking about anything of more importance that could be used for her mission.

"I agree," Ash mewed, sounding as eager as she was to leave. He got up and she followed as he started moving away.

"Oh! Ash! Going to sleep already?" a voice called, Jay recognized the voice of the brown tom with blue eyes as Bass. He was a fighter Trainee, but already nearly the same size as Ash. She noticed how Ash's eyes flashed with sudden anger at his voice. Stay calm.

"Yeah, it's been a long day," Ash called back, not even glancing over his shoulder.

"Well, sleep tight!" now there was a mocking note in the tone but the cats quickly forgot about them as Ash continued padding away.

Jay opened her mouth to say something, "You shouldn't show your anger so easily," the words were stolen from her mouth by a lanky yellow tom with amber eyes who padded up to meet them.

Jay narrowed her eyes, she hadn't seen this cat yet. "Who are you?" she asked. Ash hissed at her and she froze, in her annoyance she'd forgotten.

"Don't worry about it," the tom purred, waving his tail. "My name is Sun, I'm the leader of the hunters. I welcome you to our family, Jay," Sun mewed, dipping his head.

"Sun... when did you get back?" Ash mewed respectively. Jay noticed he seemed to give Sun the same kind of respect he gave Python, though it was to a lesser degree.

"Only a little while ago. My father and I were on a scouting trip on the western side of the valley for a rabbits burrow that was moved," he explained to her. Jay watched him in confusion, he was a tom, but he was treating her differently, almost with respect, why? And he kept glancing at her.

He must have noticed her confused expression, "Sorry," he apologized. "You look like some cat I once knew," he mewed. Jay twitched her tail, Sun was old, but not as old as Rainstone, maybe a couple seasons younger at least. I hope my similar appearance with her won't cause any trouble.

"Pine thought she looked like Rainfall," Ash mewed.

Sun tilted her head, "She does look a little like my daughter, doesn't she? Well, sorry to bother you, have a nice evening," the yellow tom mewed, dipping his head and padding away.

"He seems nice," Jay commented.

"He's one of the more respectable cats around here," Ash agreed.

"There doesn't seem to be a surplus of them, unfortunately," Jay mewed, starting out for the fighters den again.

"Wait, let me go first," Ash mewed, stepping hurriedly in front of her again. Jay rolled her eyes and followed him across the den until they came to the fighter's den. They paused at the fork in the tunnels.

"This one," Ash mewed, leading her down the one on the right, it was on the side closer to the entrance, if only slightly. The den was dark and the roof was low, the ground was covered with large moss nests, big enough for two cats to share comfortably. "My nest is back here," Ash whispered. There were only two other cats in the den, a tom and his mate already sound asleep with each other near the center of the den.

"The seniors and more important cats sleep near the middle of the den, where it's warmest," Ash whispered, leading her to the back where his own nest was.

Jay prodded the nest, it wasn't as softly lined as the others, still, it was big and it would accommodate them both. "Good," she sighed, sinking into the nest. Ash stepped in besides her and laid down, there sides just brushing.

"This is going to be a long moon," Ash sighed.

"You're telling me!" Jay whispered, "I haven't even been here a day and every cat has an opinion about me! And no, it isn't a positive one."

Ash chuckled, "There isn't a lot of friendliness around here. Also, remember this for when you work on your assignment, I promise you that if I get in trouble because of it, I will kill you," he mewed, a smile on his face.

Jay rolled her eyes, "Well, I think we've found ourselves in a very peculiar position," she yawned, resting her chin on her paws.

"To say the least," Ash mewed. "And I didn't even do anything this time to deserve this."

"What goes around comes around," Jay chided. "And I still can't decide whose side you're on," she sighed falling into sleep.

Ash watched her breaths deepen as she drifted off to dreamland. He frowned down at her, this cat had caused him so much trouble and was a serious threat. Why had he agreed to help her? Why had she even come to the mountains anyways? He had always dreamt of leaving this wretched place someday, who in their right mind would ever come here to simply live in peace.

 _No, I know that she was sent here by some cat. And I know she's behind all these strange things going on that I don't understand, she orchestrates everything, but how?_ Ash couldn't find the answers in his thoughts and decided to follow the example of his 'mate' and go to sleep.


	12. Crescent Arch

"This is chervil, it can be used to cure infection and it can help bellyaches. In addition- Jay, are you listening to me?" Jay flinched, pausing in her seventh examination of the surrounding walls and whipped her head back to face Tinge.

"Yes," she mewed, staring Tinge straight in the eye.

Tinge stared at her for a moment and grabbed a knobby, brown root in her paw. "What is this?" the old she-cat asked, narrowing her eyes.

"Chervil, it can be used for infections or bellyache," Jay responded promptly.

Tinge shook her head sharply, "No, this is comfrey root. This-" Tinge flicked her tail at another pile of brown, knobby roots, "Is chervil. Now, what is comfrey root used for?"

Jay's tail quivered. How was she supposed to tell what root was what?! They all looked and smelled the same anyways. _I hate this._ "Comfrey root is used for broken bones," Jay mewed, she remembered her mother telling her that.

Tinge nodded slowly, "And what else?" Jay snapped her mouth shut, it could be used for something else? Tinge sighed, "It can soothe wounds, heal wrenched claws, soothe itching, and help wrenched shoulders."

Jay rolled her eyes, who cared. There were plenty of cats who knew this stuff, and she'd only be here for a moon, so what need was there for her to memorize all these roots and leaves. Besides, all this herb stuff was way out of her forte. Tinge shook her head, "Well, it's only the second day. You have time to learn," the she-cat mewed, sounding more like she was trying to comfort herself rather than Jay as she started to gather her herbs together to put away.

"Does that mean we're done for the day?" Jay asked, it was only sun-high.

Tinge nodded, turning her back to her while she put the herbs away, "Ash's patrol gets back soon. You should go see him. Who knows? Maybe he'll take you out on a walk or something. If he does, I want you to try to spot the herbs we went over today. Do you remember them?" Tinge asked.

"Chervil, comfrey, dock, marigold, bindweed..." Jay mewed, going over the herbs Tinge had focused on showing her that day.

"Juniper berries and ragweed," Tinge mewed, shaking her head.

"Right, I'll remember," Jay mewed, probably not, though. "Well," she mewed, getting to her paws, "I'll be going." I don't know where, but anywhere other than this stuffy den is an improvement.

She turned towards the exit but halted suddenly as another cat almost walked into her. "Oh, sorry," the cat's mew was muffled by a bundle of herbs and she blinked at Jay in surprise. "Oh! You must be the new cat!" the she-cat mewed, dropping her herbs to smile at her.

The she-cat was a sleek, silver tabby she-cat with black eyes. She had the normal mountain cat characteristics of large round paws, large pointed ears, and a round face and was smaller in size than most Clan cats. "My name is Thyme," the silver she-cat purred friendly.

Jay relaxed in the warm, dark gaze. This was a cat that was complacent and happy, they were harder to manipulate and often not very useful, but they brought a freshness to life that Jay couldn't find in every cat.

"I'm Jay, nice to meet you," the dark gray she-cat introduced herself, dipping her head.

"I won't keep you since Ash just got back, but I look forward talking to you later," Thyme mewed, bending down to pick up her herbs and padding past her.

Jay breathed in her scent and frowned. Although these cats had a underlying common scent, they mostly just smelled like their own immediate family, and this smelled familiar. _Rainfall?_ Jay frowned and shook her head, padding out of the den.

In the main cave a patrol of cats were hovering around the fresh-kill pile. Jay headed toward them, slowing and stopping as she sought Ash's orange pelt among the browns and grays. Her ears pricked as she spied Ash sitting and talking with Bones, a white tom with yellow eyes, nearby the fresh-kill pile.

Jay trotted over to them, sitting silently besides Ash and listening to the conversation politely. Bones gave her a curious look as she sat down but didn't pause to say a word to her, instead he kept focused on Ash, who also ignored her.

"Did you see Pine? During that little scuffle with the hawk he really took charge today! He's going to be a great leader," Bones mewed.

Ash nodded his head, "Still, I'll miss Night when he dies. But I guess a cat his age can't live for forever." Jay's tail tip twitched, liar, she could see in his smoky gaze that he wouldn't miss a hair on Night's pelt. _I got that feeling three days ago too, when I first got here._

Bones blinked at Ash sympathetically, "We'll all miss him. But it's time that our generation runs the cave."

"Speaking of which, does Sun have any news?" Ash mewed, turning to a brown tabby tom with green eyes. Jay looked at him too, she knew he was a hunter, but since Ash spoke more with fighters she hadn't yet met all the hunters. _I was kind of surprised to learn that Olive was actually a trainee, he was nearly as big as Ash that I just supposed he was a hunter._

The brown tom frowned and seemed reluctant to answer, but reconsidered as Ash asked again. "He hasn't told us anything. He's still young enough to have an heir. If not, he'll have to appoint some cat else eventually"

Jay flicked her ears, because she was a she-cat she couldn't ask questions, at least not in the presence of any toms besides Ash. But she knew enough that both hunters and fighters were feeling uneasy about their leadership. Though why they did, Jay didn't understand; Sun seemed promising and Night seemed wise, they ruled over cats like these, so they were by no means perfect, but what was wanting in them?

_I know they don't have deputies like the Clans, so how do they pick their leaders? And when do they pick new leaders? I'll have to ask Ash later, if simply so that I can stay out of it. I'm only here to find out their weaknesses and Ash already told me that there wasn't a weakness he didn't know about so I'm going to have to dig deep on this one._

"Hey! Put that back!"

A sharp voice behind Jay startled her and she turned her head. Behind her, at the fresh-kill pile, a lanky sandy-brown tom was glaring at an apathetic looking Pine who was holding a rabbit in his jaws. Behind him stood a nervous looking pale gray she-cat who Pine signaled at to step back.

"Why should I put this back?" Pine asked, setting the rabbit at his paws and staring at the other tom levelly.

"Don't think I haven't noticed that that's your second meal today! There are some cats who haven't even had one yet!" the sandy-brown tom spat back.

"There's plenty of prey," Pine mewed, signaling at the fresh-kill pile. It wasn't fully stocked, but it wasn't empty either. There was at least enough to feed ten cats and the day wasn't yet over.

"There won't be so much once you loafers get through it!" the sandy tom growled.

Pine's eyes snapped with sudden fire, "What did you just call me?" Pine stepped forward, bushing up his fur and looming threateningly over the smaller cat.

Cats were looking on tensely, Pine's mate was wriggling nervously behind him and cats were gathering around in silent support of one cat or another. Jay and Ash, however, were trying their best to keep their laughter to a minimum. They kept sharing discreet amused glances as if they were silly apprentices trying to keep a secret from their mentors. Honestly! One little rabbit and the cats seemed ready to go to war over it!

"Pine, stand down," a commanding voice broke through the stiff quiet.

Jay pricked her ears as Sun pushed his way to the fresh-kill pile. The yellow tom waved the sandy tom back and stood before Pine. "I'm sorry, that was uncalled for," Sun mewed, bowing his head, "I'll talk to Crag about his conduct to you," he mewed and Pine took a step back, letting his hackles fall. "But, I would also like to ask you that you consider his voice. You've already eaten once today and it's barely sun-high, could you wait to have your next meal in the evening and let the others eat right now?"

Pine looked away, "I was on a long patrol since before dawn, I'm hungry and tired. But if you're asking..."

Sun purred, "Thank you, Pine. I know you and all the fighters work very hard to protect our hunting grounds."

"Yeah, _really_ hard, I saw a couple of them taking a nap when they were supposed to be on patrol. While we have to run around all day just to keep every cat fed," Jay picked up the growling murmur but she didn't react and no other cat seemed to have heard.

 _I could see right away that the hunters and fighters felt like they operated as separate units from each other. But they really almost act like they aren't allies but competitors._ That was quite interesting, she wondered if Ash had reported that knowledge to Python. Honestly, she didn't feel like the Ivy Cats were very stable, they were only kept together because no cat bothered to ask questions or second guess tradition. But change was always inevitable, no matter how long it waited until it finally showed.

_And if I instigate it, then they will break down in the change and Python will have an easy time beating them before they can build themselves back up. Now my job seems relatively easy, I just need to learn how I'm going to do that without endangering myself._

The cats started drifting away from the fresh-kill pile. The brown tom Ash had been speaking with bounded over to Crag and Jay noticed a lot of the hunters congregating around the sandy-brown tom who puffed his chest in pride as if he'd won a battle while Pine stalked away empty-pawed but with an air of dignity that the other fighters admired.

"Sun took care of that quite nicely," Jay mewed, watching the yellow leader pad calmly through the cats.

Ash nodded his head, "He can easily reach out to cats on both sides. He's a strong leader, well, at least his leadership is strong." Jay tilted her head and looked at Ash, his gaze was going hazy again.

"Can we go on a walk?" Jay asked abruptly, making sure all the cats wandering around weren't listening.

Ash looked at her in surprise, "I guess. I'm off of duty this evening, we can go quick after tonight's meal before it gets dark."

"Alright," Jay mewed, nodding her head, "I'll be ready."

* * *

"I can't tell you how good it is to be out of that cave!" Jay purred, stretching her back and forelegs forward.

Ash glanced back at her, "I'm surprised you managed to keep it together for three whole days before you needed to get out of that cave."

Jay lifted her nose to the air, "I'm incredibly adaptable, if you hadn't noticed. I can handle something like this with ease," she mewed, stalking in front of Ash.

The orange tom rolled his eyes, "Well, have you found anything useful yet?" he mewed, bounding forward so he could lead her on the path through the trees.

Jay twitched her ears, "Depends on how much you've told Python."

"Well, what have you found out?" Ash asked, turning to look at her, his gaze just a little mocking. Jay scowled, he was making her give up what she knew without telling what he knew as well. _That's the luxury of those who hold more knowledge._

Jay lifted her head high, "I know that the hunters and fighters have a certain degree of hostility between them."

Ash scoffed, "I blind cat could see that. Everyone in the cave knows it too, they just refuse to believe it."

Jay frowned, "They don't want history to repeat itself."

Ash nodded, "Precisely, and in ignoring the problem we're going to do exactly that."

Jay narrowed her eyes, halting and staring at Ash, "Have you told Python this?"

Ash glanced over his shoulder at her, his eyes smoky, "Of course."

"Liar." Jay glared at him, "I can tell when you're lying. I thought you liked Python, why haven't you told him everything?" she mewed suspiciously.

Ash waved his tail, "I don't know what you are talking about, I've told him all about the crumbling insides of the Ivy Cats. He's well aware of their instability."

Jay fell silent as Ash began leading the way down the grassy path again. She knew he was lying, whenever he lied or took advantage of others his gray eyes took on a smoky glaze, as if they were hiding his true feelings. She was aware that Ash had told Python about how old Night was and that there would soon be a new leader, but nothing beyond that.

She flexed her claws angrily, right now she was incredibly out-distanced by Ash's knowledge. He had every advantage on her. He knew more about the Ivy Cats then she could hope to learn in one moon, he knew more about Python, more about the cats that lived here. She was splashing blindly in the shallows while he navigated the depths with ease. _But I'm not alone, I have my own advantage._

She was an unknown factor. And she had an even more unknown factor as a friend, or at least, an ally. She followed Ash along contentedly, she could take refuge in the fact that he didn't know a thing about her and she had the power to keep it that way while he was helpless to prevent her from learning anything about the valley. Plus, she knew that he was an Ivy Cat. If word got out, his credibility would drop dramatically. The biggest advantage it gave her was that Ash was unlikely to do anything to antagonize her and that gave her some relief.

 _My first priority should be to bring back as much information on the Ivy Cats' weaknesses as possible to Python._ _Knowing that the two halves of the Ivy Cats are potential enemies of each other is a start, but I need to know more. And, while I'm at it,_ she watched Ash pause to take a sniff at the breeze, _I want to know what his motives and goals are._

The gray she-cat lifted her head, her eyes focusing on a black silhouette in the trees. "Ash," Jay mewed, trotting forward to his side again as he paused by a little stream winding through the lush grasses. "How bad would I have it if I stayed out all night long?"

Ash turned to look at her, his gray eyes considering, "Don't know. They might not notice or they might leave the punishment to me, or they could kick you out."

Jay growled, "That's not very helpful. What would happen if we both stayed out all night long?"

Ash frowned, "It is technically against the rules to leave the cave after dark. That rule was made to prevent cats from hurting themselves in the dark or attracting predators to our cave. But I can leave after dark whenever I want and no cat says anything. So if we both stayed out... maybe we'd be told not to do it again?" Ash guessed.

Jay nodded, "Then that's what we'll do," she mewed.

"I don't get a say in this?" Ash asked as she turned south along the stream.

"You get the say when we're in the cave, I get it outside of the cave. Sound fair?" Jay asked, glancing back over her shoulder.

Ash rolled his eyes, "I don't care, I was going to meet up with Python tonight anyways," he mewed, rejoining her, his head held high as they left the shelter of the trees and padded up the slope of a gentle green hill.

"Perfect, I'll be able to do my own investigating free of you," she mewed curtly.

"You don't seem worried, I could tell Python anything I wish about you and you won't be able to defend yourself for a moon," Ash mewed, his eyes were growing hazy again.

Jay shrugged, turning her gaze to the towering peaks in the distance, the alpenglow made the gray stone shine orange in the sunset colors. "Then I guess I'll have to refute them all later. Oh, but there was one last thing I wanted to ask you, would Python find it useful to also know the Ivy Cats strengths as well as weaknesses," she asked, stopping and looking at him.

Ash stopped as well, frowning in confusion. "Aren't weaknesses all that's important?"

Jay rolled her eyes, "Clearly you have never planned an attack. When you see Python, ask him if he wants to know their strengths as well," she sighed.

"I guess I can," Ash mewed. "I really ought to make you start paying for all these favors," he muttered, "Let's meet up here before dawn, alright?" Ash mewed, padding forward toward the eastern mountains.

"Sure thing," Jay mewed, sitting down and wrapping her tail around her paws. Ash's figure grew smaller and smaller until it was only an orange dot on the horizon. Jay closed her eyes, taking a deep breath of the clear mountain wind and the silent ringing in her ears.

"It took you long enough to get rid of him," a voice growled.

Jay turned her head to look at the black she-cat beside her, "Amelia, I can't make myself look more suspicious then I already have. There's no rushing these things," she mewed as the black she-cat sat down.

Amelia grunted, "I'm surprised you agreed to all this. You didn't need to, did you?"

Jay tilted her head, "No, I could have easily avoided this trouble. But," she grinned at the disappearing dot of orange, "That would mean that Ash had won, wouldn't it?"

Amelia shook her head, "You're immature for your abilities. But, I suppose it's all your own choice."

Jay glanced at the black she-cat sharply, "You didn't come here to question my decisions. What news do you have? We're still in enemy territory so be quick and quiet."

"I don't know if I have any new information, but there was something I wanted to tell you," Amelia mewed, her voice dropping abruptly to a whisper.

Jay stared closely at Amelia, surprise pricking her senses as she studied the black she-cat before her. She was sure that she'd never seen Amelia look so uneasy before, her black fur was rippling and her eyes were cast in shadow.

"A few days ago I was investigating a lead in the northeast territory and followed a path high into the mountain. I met your friend, Ash, and he warned me to go no further-"

"Wait," Jay interrupted, "You met Ash?" she asked sharply, a little angry that Amelia had been found out by her greatest adversary.

Amelia looked at her, her amber eyes foggy with confusion as if she didn't realize what it implemented. "I was so distracted that I didn't hear him until he was right behind me. I'm sorry, but he didn't get my name and I didn't tell him what I was doing. If you wanted my opinion, he was too scared to stay up there and find out."

"He was scared," Jay echoed, frowning and looking back toward the orange and shadowed peaks. Now she was feeling uneasy, anything that could spook both Amelia and Ash had to be taken seriously. "So what was up there?" she asked, looking back at Amelia.

Although the she-cat seemed ill at ease, she didn't seem scared so Jay hoped that was a good sign. "I don't know," the black she-cat admitted, shuffling her paws in the soft grass.

Jay blinked, disbelievingly. "You got scared just because of what Ash said?" she mewed, she sounded incredulous even to herself.

Amelia growled and glared at her, "Don't jump ahead of yourself. I thought your little friend was just spineless or making up nonsense, since he wouldn't tell me why I shouldn't continue up the path, only that I shouldn't go. But it was so strange, in a ravine between the two peaks there was a large stone arch over the path and there wasn't a shred of light beyond it, the difference was day and night."

"But you're not scared of the dark," Jay mewed, confused.

"Of course not, are you going to let me finish?" Amelia hissed.

"Sorry, sorry," Jay sighed, "Please continue.

"I don't know how, but the moment I stepped past that arch I don't remember a thing. The next thing I knew I was waking up in the valley. I wasn't injured, but I was shaking, as if I was terrified. But I don't remember _what_ I was terrified of," Amelia mewed, her troubled frown deepening and Jay almost felt like comforting her. _But she wouldn't appreciate that._

However, the ending of this story didn't sit well with Jay. She understood why both Amelia and Ash were wary of that arch. Supposing that Ash had a similar experience with Amelia, there was nothing more unnerving then the unknown, especially an unknown that should have been known.

_But how could a cat just forget something like that? Was she knocked out suddenly by something and dragged off the mountain? But would she have even stayed out for such a long trip? And she said she wasn't injured. But what could possibly make her unaware for so long, and who would do that? What's so special about this arch?_

Jay plucked out the grass with her claws and looked at Amelia sharply, "I want you to show me that arch. It would be best if I saw it for myself."

But Amelia was already shaking her head, "I don't know if I want to go back there ever again. Honestly, I don't think it's necessary. I'd rather ignore it if it doesn't bother us again."

"Amelia," Jay mewed sharply, raising her head, "Ignoring the problem won't make it go away. And I get the feeling that all the powers in the mountain are moving. And especially with something so dangerous, I want to know who we're up against."

Amelia sighed and shook her head, "I knew that's how you'd see it," the blacks cat muttered, "And here I was hoping you'd have a better answer then marching back into the lion's mouth."

"Well," Jay mewed lightly, "That is the easiest way to pull the teeth out."

"If they don't snap down on us before then," Amelia grumbled.

Jay frowned, and looked back at the mountains. The sun had gone down and now deep shadows cloaked it, its dark peaks pointed up against the dark blue sky. "We should go tonight. I already got clearance from Ash to be gone till morning so this will be the best chance we've got," Jay mewed, getting to her paws. Her other investigations could wait, this was more important.

"If you insist," Amelia sighed, "But I don't have a good feeling about this."

"You're not usually nervous about a fight," Jay teased, trotting at her side as they wound their way in the twilight through the trees and meadows toward the cobalt mountains.

"If it was a regular fight I wouldn't be nervous," Amelia growled, the fur on her shoulders bristling. "But a fight against an enemy I don't even remember is unsettling." The black she-cat's ears twitched, "This way," she mewed, leading her off the path and closer to the mountains.

"Wow, the ground just falls away right here," Jay mewed, jumping down as the ground dropped down a good two tail-lengths and changed from soft grass to coarse dirt.

"Watch your step, there is a ravine between here and the mountain," Amelia warned. Jay padded to the edge and leaned over the dark abyss, kicking a rock and listening to it click and clack down until it hit the bottom. She would say that the drop was at least as long as a fall from the top of a moderate sized oak tree back in the forest. _You're not likely to survive that fall._

"It's too far to jump, especially in the dark," Jay mewed warily.

"There's a spot that narrows significantly up ahead, we can cross there," Amelia mewed, her dark fur blended in with the encroaching darkness but her bright amber eyes flashed.

Jay followed her until the ravine reached a bottleneck and the jump across was maybe two tail-lengths, Jay couldn't judge well in the dark. "I'll go first," Jay mewed, getting a short running start and launching herself into the air with all her might. As she flew through the air and felt how heavy her belly was she suddenly remembered her kits.

 _Shoot! I totally forgot about them!_ Fear shot through her, would she make it? Was she strong enough with this added weight? How could she be so stupid, this wasn't just her safety at risk anymore! It wasn't until Amelia was nudging her that she realized she had safely landed on the other side and Amelia had crossed over as well.

Jay looked back at the jump, "They must be strong, if they were able to carry you across that cross. It wasn't just a little hop," she mewed.

Amelia shrugged, "I don't know how they did it but I would like to know."

"Shall we keep going?" Jay asked, looking up at the steep mountain slope in front of her.

"I don't want to spend the night right here," Amelia growled.

Jay nodded and allowed Amelia to take the lead, leading her in the dark on what seemed to be a poorly traveled path that led them steeply up into the mountains and forced them to cover some rough terrain. "You holding up alright?" Amelia asked as she scrambled a little awkwardly from one boulder to the other, straining to keep herself from falling off the mountainside.

"Just perfect," Jay mewed between gritted teeth.

"We're almost to the arch, so hang on," Amelia mewed, jumping ahead. Jay sighed and followed, launching herself from one crumbling ledge to the other. The sky was dark, thin clouds swathing most of the sky with a veil of gray that stubbornly refused to let the starlight reach the ground. The moon was small and far away, its yellow complexion unsettled Jay's heart even more. _Its like I can't recognize even the moon anymore._ But it wasn't a fearful unsettling feeling, more of an exhilarating one.

"This is it," Amelia growled. The steep path upward had flattened out to a narrow trail that led in between the two mountain peaks of the northeastern mountains. Gray light allowed Jay to see Amelia's silhouetted ears in the gloom, but peering past her guide her eyes were raised to a stone arch high over her head.

In the dark she couldn't see what kind of stone it was, but it had a gray sheen on the side facing them and almost seemed to sparkle. It was thick, could almost have been a bridge if it led to anywhere, at least two tail-lengths thick and arched over the whole of the path. But beyond it was nothing.

Jay had heard that she had distant ShadowClan blood on her mother's side, but if she was better at seeing in the dark, it didn't have any effect now. Beyond the stone arch any thin light vanished. It looked like it led the way into a gaping black maw. Now this gave Jay a fearful unsettled feeling.

Amelia was muttering something under her breath. "What are you saying?" Jay asked, staring in concern as the black cat growled and grumbled to herself. Something about getting out? Out of where?

But Amelia just shook her head, "If you still think it's a good idea to investigate it at night, tell me."

Jay shrugged, "What happened to you happened in the day, right? So I don't know why we should be any more afraid at night," she mewed, stepping forward boldly.

Amelia hung back, "I'll support you from behind!" the she-cat called, her voice echoing around the ravine.

"Coward!" Jay shouted back. Feeling her nerves begin to fray, she launched herself under the arch so that her paws hit the ice-cold ground beyond the arch. She froze, waiting for something to happen, everything was dark up ahead, but she could still look back and see Amelia peering into the darkness after her.

"Everything's fine!" Jay called as Amelia started hurrying forward.

"Can you see anything?" Amelia asked, hesitating just on the other side of the arch.

"Not a thing," Jay confirmed, even looking up the peaks seemed to loom over her and block out everything but a whisker width of sky. All around her was dark and cold and the scents were few and frosty. "But wait," she mewed, peering in the opposite direction of the stone arch. "I think I can see something- Gahh!"

Out of the darkness invisible paws caught her shoulders and flipped her on her back. More paws pressed down on her chest and maliciously gleaming eyes stared down at her. "Get out," the voice growled and the paws moved to her throat, slowly suffocating her as she spat and spluttered in shock at the sudden assault.

"Jay!" Amelia shrieked. Paws thumped all around her and as her mind emerged from its frozen panic her limbs grew cold and all she could see were those malicious blue eyes.

* * *

Jay woke up gasping and sat bolt upright. Her paws were trembling so hard that she couldn't hardly manage her weight and her tongue was stuck to the roof of her mouth. She licked her lips, trying to regain taste and grimacing at the sourness.

Looking around, she was back on the grassy hill where she had left Ash the night before. The cold taste of dew was on the wind and the eastern mountains were outlined with gold as dawn approached. A few gray clouds scurried along the breeze but for the most part the sky was clear, the moon long set and the stars winking away in rapid succession as the gray light lightened.

 _What am I doing here?_ Memories trickled back, the stone arch, the darkness, the attackers, being strangled, those blue eyes... then it all went dark until this moment when she'd awoken in the valley. Her fur prickled, but could that really be how it happened, where were her memories of what transpired between those two points of time? _Was I knocked out for the whole time? I don't remember losing consciousness, but then again, one doesn't usually remember that._

She frowned, looking around in the pre-dawn light. "Amelia!" her breath came as a ragged whisper as she got to her paws and stumbled unsteadily to the slump of black fur curled atop the green grass. "Hey, Amelia!" she hissed, prodding the she-cat awake.

Amelia grumbled in protest but her eyes eventually blinked open, cloudy with confusion. The black she-cat stared at her for a few moments before closing her eyes and groaning, "It happened again!"

"I'm afraid so, I can't remember a thing either," Jay admitted, feeling a bit defeated. Her legs had almost stopped shaking but she sat down to recover herself.

"The last thing I remember," Amelia whispered, "Is you running like a fool underneath the stone arch."

Jay's ears pricked, "You don't remember anything that happened after that?" she asked, her memories went a bit further, though not much.

Amelia looked at her in confusion, "What's the last thing you remember?"

"After I went under the stone arch we were attacked and in the dark they got the better of me, I think they suffocated me until I passed out. But you didn't cross under, you would've been fighting them on the other side," Jay mewed, frowning in confusion.

Amelia sighed, "Then I must have lost and they did something to me."

Jay frowned even more. Amelia lost a fight? Somehow, Jay couldn't buy it. She also was a bit confused about her fate, usually she could have gotten out of a situation like that with ease, just passing out wasn't really her style. There was something more to this, but Jay couldn't remember!

She let out a heavy sigh, "Are you hurt?" Jay asked, her throat was sore but that was about it.

Amelia frowned and sat up, looking over her pelt, "Only a few scratches... Not really enough to make me lose a battle." _Then we must assume we didn't lose but that something else happened._ However, Amelia looked defeated enough already, Jay didn't want to add to her troubles. As it stood now, things were simple enough.

Amelia shuddered next to her, her eyes closed and her ears flat to her head. "Can you hear it?" Amelia whispered, bowing her head.

Jay looked at her, uneasy. Amelia almost looked haunted right now, the defeat and angst on her face could pull at even Jay's heart. "I don't hear a thing," Jay mewed quietly and Amelia sighed. The black she-cat opened her eyes and raised her head, flinging off her fears in a heartbeat, "Well, I should be off soon before your beau comes back. Any new orders?"

Jay looked at Amelia. The black she-cat was still trembling but her amber eyes were bright with edgy amusement. Jay stretched and did the same, these problems would be solved in time and she already had a few ideas about how to do it.

"I'll take over study of the Ivy Cats. I want you to keep an eye on other things. Particularly those rogues guarding the entrance to the pass and their relations with Python. I don't imagine things went smoothly when Python forced them to let his cats through. Meet me here every three nights at midnight to talk. If I'm not here at midnight I can't make it and you should continue as if nothing happened," Jay ordered.

"And what if I don't see you several times in a row?" Amelia asked, eyes narrowing.

"Assume I'm dead and go about your own business," Jay mewed, staring Amelia in the eye.

Amelia grinned, "If only that would actually happen."

Jay grinned back, she could see Ash's orange pelt in the distance now. The northeastern mountains were cast in shadow as the sun rose at their backs, that was where the real problem lay. Everything else could be engineered to take care of itself, but this would be the one unknown she'd have to deal with personally.

She was looking forward to it.


	13. Sleep Tight!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the lost time in Chapter 12.

Out of the darkness invisible paws caught her shoulders and flipped her on her back. More paws pressed down on her chest and maliciously gleaming eyes stared down at her. "Get out," the voice growled and the paws moved to her throat, slowly suffocating her as she spat and spluttered in shock at the sudden assault.

"Jay!" Amelia shrieked. Paws thumped all around her and as her mind emerged from its frozen panic her limbs grew cold and all she could see were those malicious blue eyes. _This idiot just messed with the wrong cat!_

Seething in anger, Jay used the energy her fury gave her to headbutt the blue-eyed cat in the chest, forcing it off of her. Regaining her paws in the darkness, she used her ears to pinpoint the cat and went after it with a volley of vicious swipes.

She felt skin tear beneath her claws and hot blood smear her paws as the cat tried in vain to defend itself from her invisible attacks. _Just a little more..._ The cat was cowering, she could smell its fear, it hadn't expected her to put up much of a fight.

"Grrr," she growled as some cat bit down on her tail. Whirling around she abandoned her former prey to turn to the stubborn cat whose sharp teeth were clamped down on her tail. She slashed at the dark but the cat had the sense to back away out of reach.

With an annoyed grimace as the pain started bothering her, she jerked her tail painfully close to her and forced the cat to either let go or step into her attack. The cat was too stubborn to let go and Jay felt her claws cut across the cat's soft ears.

Now that she had a feel for where the cat was, Jay launched herself at it. The cat let out a surprised cry as it was forced to the ground, Jay's claws in its shoulders and her teeth pulling at its ear. "You creeps messed with the wrong cat," Jay snarled, ripping at the cat's soft flesh as it cried and vainly tried to scratch at her and kick her off. But with every nick and scrape Jay got she returned it ten-fold, harshly punishing the struggling ball of fur.

"Jay! Jay!" Amelia's call sliced through her blood-lust and she paused, her claws still embedded in the cat's soft skin.

Blinking in the darkness she turned around and saw the faint gray light beyond the arch. She could see Amelia's silhouette, four crumpled figures laying around her. "I'm coming," she called back and Amelia lashed her tail in impatience. Dragging her victim across the ground by the scruff she went to find her first attacker and found the cat long gone, even its fear scent was fading. _The coward took off and left his friend to take the fall, typical._

With a massive heave she sent her victim sliding across the ground past the arch and she stepped under the arch after it, letting the faint light gleam on all her gory glory. "Looks like you were having fun," Amelia mewed, eyes narrowed.

Jay snorted, sitting down and cleaning some of the blood off her muzzle. "I haven't been able to let loose in awhile. Haven't killed anything but prey in moons." Amelia, however, looked crisply fresh. Not a hair out of place, only the blood on her claws and jaws showed the work she'd been doing. "Did you kill them?" Jay asked casually, staring down at the motionless cats.

"No, they're still breathing, for now. What about you?" Amelia asked, looking down disdainfully at her bloody victim.

"She's still kicking," Jay mewed, with a roll of her eyes. "The other one got away though," she added.

"Then we can expect more company if we stay here," Amelia growled.

"Not necessarily," Jay mewed, already knowing what she wanted to do. "What do you say we go to them instead?" Jay mewed, pausing mid-lick to stare at Amelia.

The black she-cat fidgeted, "Wouldn't it be easier if you went and I stayed and kept these cats as hostages? Then you'd be safe," Amelia mewed.

Jay shook her head, "I don't think we have much to fear from these cats. They don't know how to really fight and once we get passed the ravine I saw light ahead so we'll be back on equal terms. I want to know what this is all about, I didn't come this far to turn back now" Jay growled.

Amelia sighed, prodding at the unconscious cats around her, all of them had a sharp bite to the shoulder and were still bleeding profusely. "You went right for their vein," Jay observed, "If some cat doesn't staunch the bleeding they'll die."

"And I wouldn't be surprised if your cat would rather die than live looking like that," Amelia scowled.

Jay looked down at the poor cat, shivering in terror even though it had already lost consciousness. "She'll heal."

Amelia shook her head, "We should go quickly if we want to be back in the valley by dawn."

"Alright, we can follow the scent trail of the one that got away," Jay mewed, stepping back under the arch. As she walked into the darkness she turned to look back under the arch, "Come on, Amelia, nothing is going to happen," she mewed impatiently.

Amelia sighed, her ears twitching nervously. "I know, I know, I'm coming." The black she-cat took a deep breath and stepped under the arch, being swallowed up whole by the darkness.

"See?" Jay mewed, padding over to the she-cat, having located her by scent. "Nothing bad happened- Ghya!" Jay gave a choking, spluttering sound and collapsed on the ground at Amelia's paws.

"Jay?! What happened?" Amelia's voice was high-pitched and she gave off of the scent of fear.

"Nothing," Jay mewed insolently, standing up again, "I was just seeing how on edge you were."

"Jay..." the gray she-cat could feel Amelia shaking with tension, but this time, it wasn't fear. "I'm going to kill you!" the she-cat snarled, lunging for her in the dark, claws unsheathed.

Jay laughed at the sloppy attempt and sped off toward the other end of the ravine, shouting over her shoulder, "Catch me if you can, loser!"

"Get back here!" Amelia roared, chasing after her as the two dashed down the black corridor, the faint gray light growing larger and brighter ahead.

Jay skidded to a halt as she came to the light, stones sliding in front of her paws and tumbling down a steep precipice where the ground dropped way to the valley floor. "That's a long way down," Jay murmured, leaning over the edge cautiously.

"I'll let you be the judge of the that," Amelia growled, her chest leaning heavily against Jay's backside, pushing her forward.

"Wait! Wait!" Jay cried, her four paws balancing on the edge of the stone as Amelia kept pushing, she tried to grip with her claws but they scrapped harmlessly over the rock. "I'm sorry! I won't tease you again!" Jay cried as she felt her whole weight lean over the edge.

"Really?" Amelia purred, sounding unusually innocent.

Jay flattened her ears and glared at the she-cat, "I promise!"

Amelia stopped pushing and allowed Jay to regain her balance, steeping away from the edge and shuddering, mostly from laughter rather than fear. "You were acting a little immature," Jay mewed, recovering herself and using a paw to straighten her whiskers.

"I could say the same to you," Amelia mewed gruffly, "So, what do you make of this?" Amelia mewed, waving her tail at what lay below them.

At the end of the drop a large stone valley rolled out before them. Silver topped pools of water covered much of the ground and dark gray stone trails twisted intricately around the pools, like ivy vines curling around a trunk. The valley was much smaller then the one they lived in, but even still, it was probably as big as the Gathering Island by the Clans.

The wet, sharp scent of water and stone filled Jay's nose and the scene before her dazzled her eyes. But something else caught her attention. And that would be the group of cats standing in the middle of the valley staring straight at them.

"I suppose making noise wasn't a smart move if we wanted to sneak around," Jay admitted.

"You 'suppose'?" Amelia mewed, her voice high and squeaky with incredulity.

"We may as well go meet them," Jay sighed, eying their hosts warily. There were about a dozen of them but with all the light reflecting off the water their colors and sizes were cast in shadow.

Jay found a narrow trail leading down into the water and stone valley and led Amelia in silence. Down in the valley several stone paths branched out into the pools, Jay chose the biggest one, the one that would lead to the cats waiting for them. They stalked along the trail, stopping to stand shoulder to shoulder about ten paces in front of the group of cats.

The cats watched them in severe silence and Jay looked them over carefully. Exactly six toms and six she-cats, grouped together in a firm bunch. Strategically, it was a poor formation, unhelpful at best in a fight. _So they aren't looking to fight us._ Jay looked for the cat whose scent trail they'd followed but even though the blood spots on the stone beneath their paws was proof enough that the cat had passed this way, there was no sign of him.

"Why have you come here, strangers?" the cats spoke in unison, a chorus of unfriendly voices.

"We are here because my friend seems to have a little trouble remembering you all," Jay mewed cheerfully. She could see a score of scratches on several cats. That didn't necessarily prove they had fought Amelia on an earlier occasion, but if they were the ones behind Amelia's memory loss, she knew the black assassin wouldn't have gone down without a fight.

"You are mistaken. We don't know her."

"You deny that you did anything?" Jay asked, taking a step closer. "Do you deny that you just minutes before attacked us?"

"You are mistaken. Leave this valley and never return." The cats ordered.

Their hollow staring eyes, their chanting, melodic voices and firm unwavering tone unnerved Jay. She'd never before been faced with such a mass of cats that could lie and deceive so blatantly. It was intriguing.

"Why should we leave this valley? Do you live here?" Jay asked, finding it hard to believe that anything but fish and frogs could live in this water-filled valley.

"We do. So you must leave." _How do they all know exactly what to say all together?_ Unhealthy curiosity stroked her spirit.

Jay narrowed her eyes, trying to figure them out. They were all standing clustered together on the stone trail, the trail led straight through the valley, the one stone path that was fully submerged the whole way through and the one that separated the valley into two sides.

The she-cats and the toms stood together, so they weren't like the Ivy Cats. But she found it odd that they were standing so close together, there was room for cats to get past on either side so they were not trying to block the trail, so what was the point of standing so close together? The trail was about five cat lengths wide, though only about two were completely dry, and it seemed the cats were being very persnickety about getting their paws wet. _But if they live here, they can't be afraid of water, so why?_

"Amelia, I'm about to do something very rash, I want to try something," Jay whispered under her breath.

Amelia didn't glance at her, her eyes fixed firmly on the cats before them, "Then do it already."

Springing like a rabbit, Jay leaped into the pool of water, gasping at shock of the cold. Ever though she had leaped off the trail, the water was shallow, only about half-way up her legs but the stone bottom was slick and she waved her tail to keep her balance, sending sprinkles of water everywhere.

"Get out of there!" the screech wasn't unexpected but Jay's ears still rang from the noise of the high-pitched shriek.

What could have been a dozen pairs of paws seized her and pulled her back onto the trail, flinging her toward Amelia who stepped in front of her protectively as she regained her paws. "Did that break their mask?" Jay asked nonchalantly, shaking the water from her fur.

Amelia chuckled, "I think you just shattered their mask, look at them." The cats were no longer standing in formation or looking at them with empty eyes and hollow expressions. Instead there were mixed expressions of horror and shock as they stared at her.

"How did you know about the water being their ticking point? It's so strange I never would have thought of it," Amelia murmured.

"From the way they looked and how weird they are I took a wild guess, seems I was right. Now we can get somewhere and learn something," Jay mewed.

The cats were murmuring among themselves, each of them casting quick glances at her. Jay had supposed that the pools of water were regarded as something akin to the Moonpool back in the Clans, but she was disconcerted that the cats didn't look angry, no, instead they looked at her with more openness than before.

An older golden she-cat with shining amber eyes stepped forward. "What is your name?" the she-cat asked, staring straight at Jay.

"My name is Jay," she answered, stepping in front of Amelia.

"We did not realize you were on of us, please forgive our rudeness," the she-cat mewed respectfully, dipping her head. Raising it again she stepped forward, "We would be honored if you took the time to meet our master. I am sure she would like to meet you."

Jay shared an apprehensive glance with Amelia. What was with this sudden change? She had expected the cats to fly into a rage and betray their intentions in their emotion. But this reaction was highly unanticipated. However, meeting the leader of these cats would be the quickest way to find out what they were all about so it would be foolish to refuse.

"Alright let's go," Jay mewed, stepping forward with Amelia.

"No! The black one cannot come with us," an older ginger and white tom stepped forward, his brown eyes snapping angrily.

"If Amelia doesn't come, I don't either," Jay mewed firmly.

The tom and she-cat exchanged a quick glance, conversing in whispers for a few moments before turning back to them, "Alright," they bowed their heads in submission and as one the cats turned and started walking by twos down the path to the opposite side of the valley.

Jay and Amelia followed them, keeping an eye on their guides and on their surroundings. The thin silver light of the stars turned the pools into a hollow of light and shadow, at times almost blinding in radiance before turning back to a cool darkness.

There was perfect silence, even the scuff of paws across stone was muted. The pools of water were deathly still and no fish dared stir the peaceful surface. The mountains surrounded the small valley and enclosed it within their harsh peaks with serenity and darkness, like the wings of a mother bird over her chicks. They were separated form the world it seemed in this strange and forgotten land.

As they approached the mountains on the eastern part of the valley, Jay could just make out that the stone and water were replaced by a carpet of moss and ivy-strewn boulders. _This is the only livable part of the valley, so where do they get their food?_ She supposed they must go into the mountains to hunt, but it seemed inconvenient to make a home where you couldn't easily get all of your necessities. And the valley didn't seem terribly friendly to cats. _Why do they live in such a place?_

By the time they reached the sweet green relief, Jay's paws were sore and cold from walking over the stone and she sighed in happiness as she felt the soft moss beneath her paws. Looking around, Jay located three dens and after another glance spotted the cat who had led them to this valley.

A brown tom with gray paws and blue eyes sat half in one of the dens that was created by two boulders leaning against each other to form a protected space beneath it. His fur was torn and ragged from where her claws had caught him and he stared at her with a look of blank shock.

She snickered at him but didn't have more time to indulge as the cats who had led them here created a half-circle behind them and started pressing them forward toward a large gray stone in the middle of the mossy clearing.

Jay blinked a couple of times, noticing a hole in the base of the rock where a white figure sat. "Master, we have brought a cat that has been accepted," the golden she-cat called out.

The white cat who had been resting its head on its chest with its eyes closed now raised its head and opened its eyes. They were white and staring, as if they saw through everything. "Bring her forward," the white she-cat commanded, though she looked old and frail, her voice was strong.

Jay was ushered forward in front of the she-cat. "Bring the other as well," the white cat commanded, looking past Jay at Amelia. The black she-cat came forward and two stood before the white cat, her fur shone a soft light gray in the shadow and her eyes were unnervingly wide and bright.

The she-cat leaned forward and breathed on them, Jay exchanged a puzzled look with Amelia but they were too confused to say anything. Finally the white she-cat sighed and leaned back, "You two should not be in the mountains."

"What?!" Jay burst out, surprisingly easily enraged that this old cat could say something to outrageous with no pretense. "You don't know the first thing about us and that's what you decide?!" she hissed.

The cats growled behind her and she calmed down, glancing at the icy calm in Amelia's eyes. "And why don't we belong in the mountains? Is it because we are strangers?" the black she-cat questioned.

The white cat looked at Amelia, "Silence, snake. You don't have the right to even crawl on your belly. Your power is a dark one and you use it for dark purposes. But that is not your fault. Your life is not a gift but a curse. It is you," the white cat turned to look at Jay again, "Who has betrayed your purpose." Amelia continued looking stolidly at the she-cat, not even flinching.

Jay scowled, was she getting lectured? For what? As far as these cats knew, she had only defended herself and splashed in a bit of water. "And what does that mean?" she growled.

"My words are meaningless on ears that refuse to listen. Now, I command both of you to go and return no more to this place. Forget all you have seen and all you have heard. And if you value your peace of mind, you will get out of the mountains as speedily as possible."

The white she-cat closed her eyes and her head again rested on her chest. The cats that had led them here hurriedly pushed themselves in between them and their master. "You must leave immediately," the cats growled, their gazes dark and threatening once more.

Jay didn't need to be told twice and she and Amelia left at a quick pace, covering the rocky path in a few minutes and once again at the bottom of the western side of the valley they climbed the thin trail and paused at the top, hesitating outside the path of darkness.

"Well, we didn't have a very enlightening visit," Amelia growled.

"Maybe not, but at lest we learned something. And we remember it all," Jay added. "And I have a good idea about who these cats might be..."

"Oh yeah?" Amelia asked, "How's that?"

"I recognized two of the cats... did you hear something?" Jay asked, it sounded like paw steps were coming toward them from the dark.

She and Amelia shared a glance and positioned themselves into an able fighting formation on the thin ledge. "Please don't be alarmed," a pretty voice called out to them and out of the darkness stepped a white she-cat, her fur illuminated by the starlight and her pale heather eyes nearly glowing white, much like the master they had just met. The she-cat carried a packet of leaves in her mouth and she wore an unassuming expression on her face as she looked between the two hostile she-cats.

"Who are you?" Amelia growled.

The she-cat set down her herbs, "My name is Lune. I'm the caretaker of the cats that live in this valley, so really I should be asking who you are and what my friends back there," she motioned with her head back at the black ravine, "Did to warrant such harsh treatment."

Jay stepped forward, "They attacked us, we were defending ourselves."

The she-cat shrugged, a little smile on her face, "As you say. But I'm afraid I'm a little annoyed that you found this place. It is usually impossible for cats to get this far, but you have even met my mother. Usually only cats that join us are allowed to remember anything about us, I don't know why you should be any different," the she-cat mewed. As she spoke she picked a few herbs out of the pack, a green leaf that reminded Jay of holly leaves which had pretty purple flowers. _Wait, haven't I seen that flower before?_

"What is that?" Amelia growled, nodding at the herbs.

"What? This?" Lune asked, picking up the spiky leaves and flowers, "What it is doesn't matter as much as what it does, right?"

"What do you mea-" Jay cut off her sentence as the white she-cat moved like a blur of light and tackled Amelia, stuffing the leaves into the black she-cats mouth. "Hey!" Jay shouted, alarmed as Amelia started choking on the leaves, but she saw that it had been impossible to not swallow some. "Get off of her!" Jay shouted, leaping at the white she-cat and swatting her away like a moss ball.

Amelia was withering on the ground, coughing and wheezing as foam speckled her lips and her eyes flew around wildly. "Amelia!" Jay breathed, her paws growing cold as she realized she didn't know what to do. She was a fighter, she didn't know how to defend herself against herbs. She couldn't help but think of Tinge, would she be able to do anything in this situation?

Then Amelia began to grow still, her eyes closed and her struggles ceased. Jay felt her heart skip a beat as she checked for a heartbeat. Putting her ear to Amelia's chest she gave a breath of relief, it was faint, but there was a bit of life still stirring.

"It wasn't enough to kill her, don't worry," Lune mewed, walking up besides her.

Jay flinched away, glaring at the white she-cat who seemed undaunted by either the results of her actions or Jay's intense hostility. "It's a nifty little herb, it is. One of its side effects, among others, is that it causes amnesia. Now why do you suppose I would use that?" Lune turned her placid face and rested her pale gaze on her. "Well, since you aren't one of us, you can't know about us, is that simple enough to understand?" Lune asked, taking more of the herbs she had force-fed Amelia into her paw.

"You want to make us forget about you. But if you do that we'll just keep coming back and this will happen over and over again," Jay mewed.

"Are you sure?" Lune asked, tilting her head to one side, "Fear is such a powerful things and nobody wants to lose their memories. It is like losing a part of yourself. Only fools fight a futile battle, if you were smart enough to get this far you will come to the same realization when you wake up."

Jay scowled but she knew Lune was right. If she forgot all that had happened, she probably would give up. Or put it on hold until a later time when her chances seemed better. "Now be a good kitty and take your medicine," Lune purred.

Jay whirled around and dashed into the darkness. Speeding in the direction of the crescent arch. She didn't have to worry about Amelia, if she was brought back to the valley once she could trust it to happen again. "Don't run, you have to take this before you leave. You have nothing to fear, we want nothing from the cats that live in the valley, we simply live here in the valley of the starpools for now. Although, I do believe it is nearly time for us to retake the Moon Valley, you'll be remember us then when we do, won't that be fun?"

Lune's voice drew closer but Jay couldn't hear her pawsteps and her breath grew tight as a familiar, paralyzing sensation came over her as if she were being chased by something unnatural. She looked familiar, _don't tell me she was the ghost I've been seeing!_ The questions ran around her head and she was so confused she barely was conscious that Lune was catching up until she felt her tail snatched.

With a snarl she whipped around with the intention of scarring the stupid cat's pretty face. But instead she felt a slim, silky paw thrusting into her mouth and herbs being stuffed down her throat. "Now that's a good little kitty," Lune cooed in her ear, a sickly sweet voice that made her skin crawl.

The taste of the herbs was sour, unlike anything that Jay has ever tasted and she heaved and coughed, trying to spit them back up but they were already down and they started to work as she trembled violently and hot flashes swept over her.

Her limbs began thrashing wildly and she crumpled to the floor, her head spinning as bright colors flashed before her eyes. She felt the foam on her lips and she tried to spit it out, convulsing as her stomach knotted in pain and her senses spun out of control as she lay on her side in the dark.

She felt her consciousness ebbing and she thankfully allowed herself to slip into that sweet repose. As she gave her last feeble coughs she felt Lune lean over her, a warm breath stirred her ear fur. "Sleep tight!"


	14. Alliances

**Mountain Alliances**

Hunters

Leader: Sun- Yellow tom with amber eyes. Mate: Silk- Lanky white she-cat with hazy blue eyes.

Hunters:

Tangle- Old gray-brown tom with dull blue eyes and white tipped tail.

Pepper- Old black and white tom with blue eyes. Mate: Whisper- Old lithe silver she-cat with darker flecks and green eyes.

Blizzard- Tall white and gray tom with blue eyes. Mate: Feather- Black she-cat with gray eyes.

Crag- Lanky sand-brown tom with brown eyes. Mate: Swoop- Graceful red she-cat streaked with white and gold eyes.

Cedar- Brown tabby tom with green eyes. Mate: Undecided.

Trainees: Cats ages 5-8 moons.

Thunderstorm- Tall dark gray tom with hazy amber eyes. Mate: Thyme- Silver tabby she-cat with black eyes.

Olive- Pale gray tom with pale green eyes. Mate: Rainfall- Dark gray she-cat tinted blue and dark amber eyes.

Kits:

Eagle- Red-brown and white tom with gold eyes. (Crag, Swoop)

Fighters

Leaders: Night- Old, large black tom with brown ears and paws; Amber eyes. Mate: Tinge- White furred she-cat with tinged gray and yellow eyes.

Fighters:

Trip- Old, white and brown tom with large, clumsy paws and blue eyes. Mate: Cinder- Old, fluffy gray she-cat with green eyes.

Fish- Stocky black tom with orange speckles and dark brown eyes. Mate: Flower- Gray she-cat with black hairs and green eyes.

Pine- Large black and brown tom with amber eyes. Mate: Cascade- Pale gray she-cat with blue eyes.

Bones- White tom with pale yellow eyes. Mate: Undecided.

Torch- Orange tom with brown eyes. Mate: Tallow- Yellow she-cat with amber eyes.

Peak- Stocky gray tom with green eyes. Mate: Vale- Petite silver she-cat with white paws and green eyes.

Ash- Red-orange tom with gray eyes. Mate: Undecided.

Trainees. Cats ages 5-8 moons.

Bass- Brown tom with blue eyes. Mate: Bluebell- Smoky gray she-cat with violet blue eyes.

Flood- Murky brown tabby tom with white belly and gray eyes. Mate: Undecided.

Kits:

Slinky- Gray tom with black paws and green eyes. (Peak, Vale)

Ivy- Black she-cat with green eyes. (Peak, Vale)

Goat- Fluffy cream tom with blue eyes. (Torch, Tallow)

**Python's Group**

Leader: Python- Copper brown tom with white paws and blue eyes.

Members:

Glade- Gray she-cat with green eyes.

Strike- Brown tabby tom with black stripe along spine and amber eyes.

Rockfall- Pale brown tom with darker paws and tail tip; brown eyes.

Briar- Black she-cat with amber eyes.

Comfrey- Silver gray tabby tom with pale blue eyes.

Dew- White she-cat with gray ears and green eyes.

Poppy- Tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes.

Finch- Small gray and white tom with brown eyes.

Lion- Long-furred golden-brown tom with black paws and yellow eyes.

Tansy- White and ginger tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes.

Ragwort- Shaggy brown tom with white tail tip and blue eyes.

Cloud- Gray she-cat with white paws and pale yellow eyes.

Mole- Black tom with a pink nose and gray-green eyes.

Screech- Gray and white she-cat with large ears and blue eyes.

Bear- Long-furred brown tom with black eyes.

Dawn- Orange and cream she-cat with yellow eyes.

Cherry- Pale cream she-cat with bright green eyes

Night- Sleek, small black she-cat with dark, shadowy green eyes

Leaf- Cream tabby with white paws, chest, and tail-tip. Pale green eyes.

Dark- Dark gray tabby with black stripes

Spark- Bright ginger she-cat with green eyes

Silver- Pale silver tabby she-cat with bright blue eyes

**Moon cats**

Blanche- Glowing white she-cat with white eyes (blind)

Finch Flight- Ginger and white tom with brown eyes

Hunny Blossom- Gold she-cat with amber eyes

Cedar Cone- Dark brown tom with pale blue eyes

Wolf Song- Black striped silver tabby with black eyes

Smoke Trail- Brown tom with gray paws and blue eyes

Fox Whisper- Red she-cat with amber eyes

Dusk Howl- Brown and ginger tom with gray eyes

Cotton Flower- Pale red and gray she-cat with yellow eyes

Turtle Claw- Brown tabby tom with black eyes

Dawn Dust- Tortoiseshell she-cat with green eyes

Storm Call- Fuzzy gray tom with yellow eyes

First Snow- White she-cat with pale blue eyes

Sky- White and gray she-cat with sky blue eyes

Twig- Brown tabby tom with green eyes

Hawk Tail- Pale brown tabby tom with amber eyes

Eagle Egg- Young gray and white she-cat with blue eyes

Lune- White she-cat with pale violet eyes

**Others**

Jay- Dark gray-blue she-cat with dark blue eyes.

Pummel- Old gray and white tom with green eyes.

Stretch- Old, skinny brown tabby tom with amber eyes.

Crystal- Old, fluffy white she-cat with three black spots and ice blue eyes.

Midnight- Fluffy black she-cat with one white paw and ice blue eyes.

Raven- Tall black she-cat with amber eyes.

Amelia- Long-furred black she-cat with amber eyes

Rainstone- Dark gray she-cat with blue tinted fur and dark blue eyes; lame paw.


	15. Tangled Tales

"Ouch!" Jay drew her paw in sharply and hissed as she saw scarlet drops swell out of her pink paw pad. Peering accusingly into the dark, stone niche she growled and drew out the long, barbed thorn she had pricked herself on. "How did a thorn get in there?" she muttered to herself, but the question was rhetorical.

She knew she wasn't stupid enough to mix a thorn up with her paltry stash of herbs. And no other cat would be stupid enough to put their herbs accidentally in with hers when she had been given the most difficult to reach niche there was in the whole wall of niches.

Stepping up on her hind legs and pressing her paws against the rough wall she craned her neck to see into the hole again. There was no way a thorn just happened to have been left behind there and no tom knew which one her herb niche was. That limited the culprit to the she-cats and most of them were too short to reach her niche, so there were only a few possibilities left.

Jay gave a meow of victory as she pulled a piece of fur from the wall of her niche. It was dark gray with a bluish tinge, any cat could have said it belonged to her and they would have believed it. The harsh herb scent masked its identity but Jay could tell that this scent most definitely belonged to a mountain cat. _So it was Rainfall._

With the culprit behind the thorn resolved, Jay basked in her own genius as she licked the wound on her paw, letting the sweet taste of blood flow through her mind as she entertained plans for vengeance. Those plans, however, would have to stay in her mind. She was already being watched for her stunt a few days back and this was no time to do anything else to upset the Ivy Cats.

She and Ash had in fact been punished for staying out all night. Though the punishment was only that she had been forbidden to eat anything for one day and Ash was limited to one meal. However, Ash had anticipated that possibility and they had eaten a hefty meal before returning to the cave. So that they passed the day with minimal discomfort. Jay found the punishment amusing compared to what she had gone through.

The cats around her had been so aghast at learning her actions she had supposed she might be sentenced to death. But with the light penalty being announced they all looked upon her in pity. Frankly, Jay was used to this punishment. It was what her mentor most commonly used when she was disobedient and she was not unused to the uncomfortable feeling of hunger, but she played the part well. A silent, longing sufferer who made herself look so contrite that even Ash had to ask if she regretted the action; which she did not.

But by the next day she was treated to an extra meal with even the toms looking a little sympathetically in her direction, Jay conjectured this unprecedented sympathy was only a result of her carrying kits. Rainfall had been the only one annoyed with her act and although she hadn't spoken to her directly, the younger she-cat's dirty and arrogant looks toward her had grown more frequent.

And now Rainfall was playing little tricks on her.

But that mattered little to Jay. She had much bigger problems on her paws. That crescent arch... what had happened? The lapse of memory she suffered unnerved her more then it should have, and the feeling of being watched stuck with her whenever she left the cave. Something had happened, she was sure of it, but what it was she didn't know and she didn't feel like she'd be figuring it out any time soon.

The one lead she believed to have was that sour herbal taste that had been left over in her mouth. She had taken to tasting the herbs that Tinge introduced to her, trying to find one that matched the taste, but with no luck.

The events of that night were so clear; the long, treacherous journey up the mountainside guided only by her whiskers and Amelia's scent. The pale gleam of the heavens, the looming rock, the icy coolness. The abject darkness past the archway, those glittering blue eyes, that gravelly voice.

Jay shook herself, thinking about it would do her no good. It was nearly sun-high and Tinge wanted her to sort through the small amount of herbs she'd gathered and to try to remember what they were and what they were used for, and the old she-cat wasn't very patient with her. _I have tansy, coltsfoot, watermint and juniper berries. Watermint and Juniper berries can ease stomach aches, coltsfoot helps coughs... what does tansy do? Fight infection?_

"Oh! Jay, you're here," a surprised voice mewed behind her. Jay looked over her shoulder to see Thyme padding in with a pale gray she-cat. Jay recognized the she-cat as the cat that had stood behind Pine during the controversy with the fresh-kill the other day. Jay would later learn her name was Cascade and the nervous looking she-cat seemed perpetually on her toes.

"Thyme," Jay mewed politely, dipping her head toward both as they went to their stores of herbs.

"Do you have training today?" Thyme asked as Jay turned to pick at her herbs.

"Yes," Jay answered, curbing a small sigh.

"Don't worry," Thyme purred encouragingly, "It seems like a lot to remember now but you won't regret it. The feeling of saving a cat's life with your knowledge is incredible," the silver she-cat purred, closing her eyes in bliss.

Jay glanced at her in interest. She knew that noise, that sound of complete joy and fulfillment. Even if she didn't live here, she probably would have loved to learn about herbs. _Some cats just have a knack for it, I suppose._

"Thyme, do you know where your sister is?" Jay asked casually

"Rainfall? Sorry," Thyme shook her head, "I haven't seen her since earlier this morning and it's almost sun-high now."

"Rainfall went out with Olive on a walk after her got back from hunting," Cascade spoke up quietly, eyes downcast on her herbs.

"Oh, okay," Jay mewed, falling quiet. She rolled the thorn around under her paw. It would be immature to stick the thorn in Rainfall's herb hole and she couldn't put anything in the she-cat's nest for she shared it with Olive and it was in the Trainee den. Surely there was something she could do though? Something worse? Teach Rainfall to not mess with her?

"What are you thinking about?" Thyme asked, noticing her staring at the rock wall in concentration and shifting over toward her, black eyes bright with curiosity.

"I was wondering when Tinge would show up, Ash will be back soon. I hope he gets back before she gets here," Jay sighed.

"You really don't like herbs?" Thyme asked, eyes wide with surprise. Cascade glanced at her quickly, her eyes darting away when Jay caught her gaze.

"I just don't have a sense for things like this," Jay mewed, leaning back and looking up at the ceiling. "My mother did, though. And so did my brother," she mewed, smiling a bit as she thought of her littermate.

"Your _brother_ learned about herbs?" Thyme mewed, her voice high with disbelief.

Jay purred and looked at the two stunned she-cats. "Don't forget, cats live very differently outside of your territory. I've traveled a long way and I've seen lots of cats. None of them are ever quite the same," Jay mused, thinking about all the cats in the Clans, Rainstone, Amelia, Python's cats, Ash. They all lived in the same world and breathed the same air, but to compare them to each other would be like comparing the ocean to the lake or a stream or a puddle.

"Jay," Thyme mewed softly, "How far have you traveled?" Her eyes were big with wonder and Jay sensed that her curiosity had changed to deep intrigue.

Part of Jay would have been delighted to tell Thyme all that she had seen and done, pour out all her secret thoughts and experiences on impulse to appreciative ears. But the more sensible part of her shied away from it. A cat with such a sheltered upbringing wasn't ready to hear about the world just yet and she wasn't ready to put her life into words either. So Jay shook her head and smiled, "I'll tell you someday," she promised as Thyme looked disappointed.

Cascade shook her head, "I couldn't travel like you. Without a home or any cat to protect me. You made a smart choice to pick here as your home."

Jay was absolutely sure that choosing to live here was the dumbest thing a cat could do, but she decided not to say that. Her ears pricked as heavy paw steps echoed out of the tunnel. "That must be Tinge," Jay sighed, standing up and turning to greet her mentor with an annoyed scowl.

She froze as instead of her mentor Night appeared, his gaze instantly landing on her disconcerted face and he frowned. "Jay, please come with me," he mewed, not waiting for her answer before turning away back down the tunnel.

Thyme and Cascade looked at her nervously. Jay shrugged, "I don't remember doing anything wrong," she mumbled, hurrying out after the big black tom. The cave was quiet and Night didn't glance back for her as he stepped out of the cave, ducking under the stream that ran over the opening and disappearing from sight.

Jay bounded over and slipped past the curtain of water, pausing for a moment on the slope to shake the water from her ears. The day was gray and heavy, a fine mist blanketing the valley. The mist wasn't thick enough to create drops of water, but it made her fur feel damp, cold, and heavy against her skin.

Night didn't falter as he pressed into the haze, padding down the steep, crumbly slope with practiced ease. Jay skidded after him, leaning back on her haunches and letting the ground slip beneath her and carry her down slowly until she reached the bottom.

Night continued on without her among the trees and she hissed with annoyance. Couldn't he wait for her? Or tell her what this was about? He hadn't spoken once to her aside from the reprimand she'd gotten for being out all night that one time. And besides that, the rules said she wasn't supposed to go out except with her mate or a tom from his or her family. Since he was the leader she hadn't questioned it, supposing he could do what he wanted, but he better not be trying to get her in trouble.

She hurried forward until she was walking just behind Night, the large tom carried himself with a dignity only leadership can bestow and Jay could at least admit that he wasn't a tyrant with his cats. In fact, she hadn't heard him speak even once without a tone of respect whether it was to a tom or she-cat. _I don't feel the same way about Pine though._

"Do you like living with us?" Night mewed suddenly, his tail tip twitching.

"Yes, very much so," Jay mewed, speaking in a soft, quiet voice that she had learned the toms appreciated.

"You can speak your mind out here, I don't mind," Night invited.

Jay was silent. She was right, he wasn't stupid, he wouldn't fall so easily for her acts. That made him a potential enemy, she'd have to tread carefully. "Is it even alright for me to be out here with you? The rules don't say I can go out with a leader," she asked instead.

Night laughed and turned off the trail, leading her through a bit of wet ferns and up a little hill to sit in the open with the mist upon her face. He sat down on the damp grass but Jay remained standing behind him. "I suppose Ash didn't tell you, he doesn't like to talk about it. But I'm his father," he mewed.

Jay's fur prickled along her shoulders, Ash had never even mentioned that. In fact, he'd never hinted, nor had any other cat. _Wait, aren't leaders here chosen by succession?_ "Does that mean he could be leader one day?" Jay asked casually.

"Perhaps. But Pine is older, so right now, Ash won't become leader unless Pine dies before he takes leadership or without an heir," Night mewed. "Which could happen, the mountains are in unrest right now," the old tom muttered.

Jay didn't know what to make of this new information. On one paw it could be the possible motive she had been searching for. On the other paw, she didn't feel that what Ash wanted was power. His ambition seemed more... complex then that.

Night seemed to be waiting for her to speak, his ears were pricked and turned back toward her. Jay continued her silence, trying to puzzle out from Night's back what it was he was waiting for. With a weary sigh he turned toward her, "I brought you out here for two reasons. One, I find it strange how remarkably well you've adjusted to our way of life, and two, you look like some cat I once knew and I'd like to know why."

Jay stared at him, her mouth shut.

"Where did you come from? Have you lived in this valley your entire life?" Night asked, rising to his paws and standing tall before her.

Jay looked down at her paws, "Who do I remind you of?" Jay asked.

Night growled, "I ask the questions here."

Jay looked up at him, a bit of scorn in her eyes. "But didn't you say not long ago that speaking my mind wouldn't bother you? I get the feeling that it does," she mewed, with an accusatory note in her voice. In reality, she wasn't really offended or annoyed, in fact she was rather amused at his own hypocrisy. But she didn't like answering questions unless she got something in return.

Night blinked for a few moments as if trying to remember and dipped his head, "Alright. If I answer your questions, will you answer mine?"

Jay nodded, that was a deal she could agree to. And since he was a leader, she was sure he felt the pressure to uphold his promises faithfully. "I didn't live in this valley until a couple of moons ago. I lived with my family until I decided to leave. I think I adjusted well because I desired to and I don't know why I remind you of some cat, everyone always told me I looked like my father," Jay mewed, answering all but the first of his questions with half truths. She already had an idea of who it was she reminded him of, now she needed to know if it was important and how it might affect her.

Night listened and gave a small nod when she finished, "Alright, now I'll tell you who you remind me of. I had a mate before Tinge, she bore my first kits but she died in a blizzard trying to leave the mountains."

Jay twitched her ears dubiously, "Did she really die?"

Night shrugged and looked away, "We never found the body but it is unlikely that she survived."

"You think she survived," Jay spoke up, she could see in his face he refused to believe that the she-cat was dead.

Night glanced at her in surprise, "I hope she did. She didn't deserve to die, I often wonder what happened to her and if she ever thinks of me."

"What was her name?" Jay asked gently as Night turned away from her, looking out at the drab mist that veiled the distant mountains in a blanket of gray.

"You saw Pepper the other day, didn't you?" Jay nodded, remembering the old black and white tom who had given her a friendly look. _Come to think of it, Rainstone first introduced herself as Pepper to me._ "She was his littermate. Her name was Rainstone," he spoke her name like he was contemplating the mysteriousness of the new moon or longing for something out of reach but was always in sight.

 _I knew it._ Jay had been guessing for a while that Rainstone had once been a member of the Ivy Cats ever since she had seen how some of the older cats looked at her and she had reluctantly admitted that she and Rainfall looked too much alike to be distant relatives. And since Rainfall was Pepper's daughter, it all made perfect sense.

 _But... My mother, Scorch, her father is Needlepine, not Night. But if Rainstone carried Night's kits, what happened to them?_ Had she been back in the Clans, it would have been easy to find out.

Then she froze, remembering something that Rainstone had said to her, " _Why is an expectant mother wandering around so far away from home? It's irresponsible._ " _Back then, she spoke like she knew all about it. And she spoke with worry and pain, if only a little bit. I suppose her kits must have perished.._

"I don't suppose you know her," Night laughed, as if he didn't dare hope that she did, but at the same time with a painful wish begged a response.

Jay shook her head, "Sorry, I never heard of her." Of all the lies she had told, this was the one she considered the most wrong. Here was an old cat with an ancient question, a lingering hope of one last word of news about a cat he clearly had cared for before he died. And she was refusing him information not because it would inconvenient her for him to know her roots or because she considered him a potential enemy. No, she was saying nothing because she recognized that this was a cat who held a simple and pure love in such a messed up world, and she held that against him.

Night turned and started on the trail back to the cave. "Actually, I have a few more questions," Jay mewed, stepping after him.

Night looked over his shoulder at her, "Okay, but make it quick," he growled.

Jay nodded, the sky was growing darker and a chill had crept into the air that hadn't been there before. She only had a few unassuming questions that needed to be asked outside of the realm of Ash's ears. She asked about the leaders, their predecessors, kin, mates, and successors.

"So Pine had another littermate, but he's dead now?" Jay affirmed. Night nodded. "And Ash had a sister and his mother wasn't Tinge?" she repeated, sitting nose-to-nose with Night.

Night blinked his large amber eyes, "Yes, Tinge couldn't bear any more kits but to secure my blood line I needed more kits then just Pine. I mated with a she-cat named Half, who died in the Great Sickness, and she bore Ash and a daughter, Cinder."

"But Cinder also died in the great sickness?" Jay mewed. Night nodded. "And on Sun's side of things. His father, Pepper, was never leader?"

"Correct," Night nodded. "The previous Hunter's leader, Hawk, denied Pepper's right to leadership for... various reasons. And since he had no other sons, the leadership went to Pepper's sons. Blizzard was the younger, so Sun became leader. He had two daughters and one son, but to the grief of many, that son died in the Great Sickness."

Jay's ears twitched, "It sounds like a lot of important cats died in the Great Sickness."

Night nodded, his eyes foggy with grief, "We lost many cats that cold season. The she-cats ran out of herbs early in the sickness and could not find any more. The cats that were not sick grew weak with hunger and became more susceptible to lesser sicknesses. Honestly, I was surprised that so many of the older cats fared better then the younger."

_The older the cat, the more sicknesses they are immune to. They have to know that. But I'm surprised, what kind of sickness was it that so many cats were killed even with all these medicine-cats and all these herbs? They have more in stock then all the Clans put together._

"Sometimes there are sicknesses that even herbs are useless against," Jay mewed. She remembered one elder who had grown ill very suddenly and whose illness had been very painful and which had eventually taken the elder's life. "But I find it odd that with so many deaths there isn't a greater amount of cats without mates," she mewed, narrowing her eyes.

Night stiffened, "When a tom dies, his she-cat is reassigned since she must have some cat to take care of her," he explained courtly.

"I see," Jay murmured, "Well, those were all my questions," she mewed, getting to her paws.

"Good, and I hope you know that I do not wish you to repeat any of this," Night mewed sternly.

Jay bent her head admissibly, "Of course."

* * *

It was nearly dark by the time they reached the cave. The mist had lifted but thick patches of fog rolled about the valley, distorting the familiar landscape and making it seem a land far more inviting to ghosts and ghouls then Jay cared it to be. The dark gray clouds promised a night of rain and the cool wind whipped the tops of the trees on the hills into a fury. They retreated gladly into the safe repose of the dimly lit but comfortable cave.

Inside the cave the atmosphere was lively. Cats came out of their dens to share the evening meals in large, vocal groups. The cave was warm and the cats seemed warmer, a nice contrast to the chilly night even though it was the height of green-leaf.

Night left her at the entrance and went to join his mate and Pepper, who Jay observed with more interest. After all, now she knew he was her kin. However, she had little interest in kindling any kind of relationship with him and turned to search for Ash whom she felt was a much more important individual in her life right now. Not that she enjoyed him being that.

Ash was sitting at the entrance of the fighters den, a disconsolate scowl on his face. Jay padded up to him, a smirk playing on her lips, "You look like you just lost your last meal," she commented, tickling his face with her whiskers as she leaned in to snicker at him.

Ash glowered at her, "And you look a little too pleased with yourself," he growled.

Jay sat down beside him, "I've had a productive day," she purred.

"You were talking with Night, about what?" he growled, turning to stare at her. His eyes hard and cold, she hadn't seen that look before.

Jay's whiskers twitched, "He asked how I was adjusting to cave life and told me he was your father," she mewed, careful to keep her tone respectfully distant.

"It doesn't mean anything," Ash mewed gruffly, his fur ruffling around his shoulders as he looked the other way from her.

"I already noticed that you don't like him so there's no need to be defensive about it. And as long as Pine is alive, it really doesn't matter," Jay mewed.

Ash nodded, "I don't want you getting close to Night. Stay away from him as much as possible," he growled.

Jay snorted, "Why do you think I would listen to you?"

"I'm serious," Ash mewed in a low tone, getting to his paws and facing her.

"So am I," Jay returned in a quiet tone, staring up at him. "Ash, I am not here for fun and games. I'm here to find out the weaknesses of the cave cats and tell Python. Ah, that reminds me, what did Python think about me investigating the cave cats strengths as well?" She had nearly forgotten in the face of the strange occurrences later that night.

Ash's ears twitched, "I'd thought you'd forgotten about that," he muttered, "He said he'd appreciate all the information you could gather on them."

Jay nodded, "That makes my job easier. We're already at the quarter moon. My, how time flies," she purred as Ash sat back down next to her. "Speaking of time, I'm rather hungry, do you mind?" she mewed, turning impertinently to Ash.

The orange tom scowled, "I have half a mind to say no," he growled. But he got to his paws and made his way to the fresh-kill pile, picking out two plump mice and returning to her. "I already ate," he mewed, giving her both pieces of prey.

Jay gave a superficial purr in thanks and wolfed down the first mouse, taking more time with the other but enjoying it more heartily. "You want to go out tonight?" Ash mewed. It was the night she was scheduled to meet Amelia. She hadn't told him that, only that she wanted every third night for her own devices.

"Of course," Jay mewed, cleaning the last scraps of her meal from her whiskers.

"It looks like it's going to rain," Ash mewed, not looking pleased at the prospect of spending the night out in the soaking rain.

Jay sighed, "I'll try to finish up just after midnight. But you have to stay out with me or else I'll get in trouble. But as long as we're both back before dawn we can get away with it," she mewed.

Ash finally agreed as long as she promised to groom him until he was dry and after hassling her for a while she agreed and they went out into the dark evening together. The mist had turned into a steady rain and Jay braced herself against the cold chill as it soaked through her fur.

The ground outside the cave was slippery and on the slope Jay could barely keep her paws in the dark as they slipped through the damp soil. "We'll meet here just after moon-high," Ash mewed, raising his voice over the rain as they regrouped at the bottom of the mountain.

"Alright, see you then," Jay mewed, taking off into the gloomy forest. Using a mostly covered trail, she pushed through wet grasses and bushes that dampened her fur and smeared it with leaf bits and mud. The noise of the wind rose to a shrill whistle and the rain, though thin, lashed painfully across her face and restricted her sight until she could only look down at her paws.

The patter of rain against earth filled the air and even the creak of the branches and rustle of leaves above were muted by contrast. Jay knew the way around the woods and meadows remarkable well and even in the dark she didn't make a misstep, albeit she slipped in a mud puddle once.

She came to the hill which she had awoken upon, unaware of recent events, several mornings ago. The hill itself was bare, with tall green grass that usually waved in the wind. But tonight the grass felt like blades lashing at her legs, slicing like bits of ice in the dark as she pushed her way out into the open.

At the top of the hill Jay paused and looked around; the light was gone, only a dull glow from the sky and her inherent night vision allowed her to make out the gray emptiness around her. Jay raised her head into the gale, allowing the cold rain to cut across her face. It hurt, it was cold, it was wild, and she loved it.

She wouldn't say that she liked rain. It was a pain to hunt in and annoying since it made the forest wet and muddy. But when it mixed with the wind it became something fierce and strange, something like the taste of uncontrolled power, and she could admire that.

"Enjoying the nice weather?" Amelia, however, did not sound like she appreciated the entangling of rain and wind.

"Yes," Jay purred, turning toward the black she-cat whom she could just make out in the dark. "I'm glad you didn't make me wait though," she added, already chilled by the low temperature of the precipitation.

"I want to be quick tonight, if you don't mind," Amelia grumbled. "In regard to my observation of the rouges currently controlling the pass, I am unable to say that there is anything unusual about them. They seem to rotate by traveling in groups from one end of the pass to the other and they send out regular hunting patrols but they don't seem to protect any territory besides the pass," Amelia mewed, sidling up close to her so that they could speak in low tones and still hear each other over the wind and rain.

"What about leaders? Do they have one?" Jay asked.

"I haven't been able to confirm that. They certainly work as if they take orders and some cat always seems to be in command of the others, but it changes with nearly every rotation. I will continue to study them," Amelia mewed. "As for their relationship with Python, I believe I have found out something of interest."

"And that would be?" Jay encouraged, leaning in until her breath stirred Amelia's dripping whiskers.

"Python seems to be rather familiar with several of the rogues, which is probably how he got his cats through. They don't have a friendly manner with each other but there's a respectful distance," Amelia mewed.

"As if they know each other previously?" Jay conjectured.

"Possibly, I'll leave you to puzzle that out. And how have you been doing in your investigations? Not that I'm that interested," Amelia grumbled.

"Very well, actually. I have several things to impart to Python in ways of major intelligence," Jay mewed, in the last few days she had been active in eavesdropping on the leaders and older cats to learn their secrets.

"Will you be departing from the ivy cats presently then?" Amelia asked, her tone didn't betray much but her eyes gleamed with earnest.

Jay purred, "Before too long; I want to be gone a quarter moon before the full moon comes around. But I recently learned of something that I wish to investigate on the side. It could be very important and I want to give as much time into following up on this Intel as possible."

Amelia muttered something under her breath, "Best of luck to you then. But I think you should get out of there as soon as possible. Those cats... I wouldn't want to get mixed up with them."

Jay waved her tail, "I understand and am being careful. You best be cautious too, if anyone catches onto you my position could be compromised as well."

"I'm always careful," Amelia mewed, turning away into the messy storm, flattening her ears and lowering her head as she slunk off the hill into the recess of the trees.

Jay raised her head and listened to the black she-cat's paw steps fade quickly, her black pelt melting into the surrounding darkness. Raising her head to the heaves she caught the faint glimmer of storm tossed stars glittering bravely through the swaths of clouds.

She felt like she could see the paths of the cats in the mountain twisting together in that storm-ravaged sky. Torn and tattered they twisted together to form a marvelous silver and black tapestry. Every cat, their story and their paths, thrown against each other until they were so knotted together they couldn't move.

If that was the case, she would just have to break those constricting bonds.


	16. Acrimony

Six days had passed since Jay had spoken with Night and learned more of Ash's ancestry. The orange tom had changed since then. Nothing major, he still smirked at her and lofted his superiority in her face. But there were some subtle changes; their conversations were a little more curt, the enjoyment he derived from teasing her seemed a bit more barbed. In short, his relationship with her had turned from unpleasant to bitter.

Jay marveled at the cause, knowing of doing nothing to irk him besides learning of who his parents were- and that changed nothing, surely. But since that was the only thing that had happened, she realized that he was worried she would be able to use that information, the problem was that she didn't. The half moon came and so did the half-way mark of her stay with the ivy cats. Her belly continued to grow and she was getting feelings of restlessness, an intense desire- nearly a necessity- to set everything right before her kits came.

She was quite content that she knew enough to please Python's desires, she had gathered more information then she thought she would have. The Ivy cats' fighting style was best suited for open areas. Their tracking senses were more hearing oriented then scent or sight. The unrest, which Ash claimed to have already told Python about, could be easily manipulated. Less then half their cats knew how to fight and less then half knew how to hunt.

Were she the strategist, she would target hunting patrols and let the cats starve, exploiting the weakness in separating skills. Also, she would target the she-cats. Since they were the ones who knew how to heal there position was far more important then the Cave cats gave them credit for. In addition to that, all the cave cats were extremely prideful. Pride can be blinding and she was sure it would be a useful thing to remember.

Of course, she was aware that Python was doing this to help the oppressed she-cats so there was no chance of that. As for the Ivy Cats strengths, she would caution the cats to be quick footed attackers. The fighters were mostly large and powerful cats who could launch attacks that could knock a cat unconscious with one hit. Also, the hunters had tremendous senses and would be difficult to sneak up on unless an ambush were planned.

Since Jay had made a point of memorizing all their trails and usual hunting haunts as well as the terrain of their territory, she felt confident that she could offer much help in planning where attacks should be made. With all this information she could return to Python and demand that he keep up his end of the deal, so why did she stay?

That old habit of curiosity and restlessness crept back under her skin. There were secrets here and she wanted to understand them. She felt like she was looking at a sky that was half lit in brilliants shades of gold and red and the other was bleeding with darkness. She wanted to paint the darkness, illuminate all the secrets with brilliant blue and then hide them again under the auroral colors so that no one else could see them.

"Jay! What are you doing?!" Jay shook out of her thoughts and looked down at her paws. While lost in her daydreams she had mixed up her piles of herbs that she was supposed to be sorting through.

"Sorry," Jay apologized as Tinge glared at her from where she was dipping her freshly picked herbs in water and preparing to dry them for storage. "I'll sort them out again," she sighed.

Rainfall snorted and muttered something under her breath. The she-cat sat at the opposite end of the den with her back toward Jay as she tossed out any rotten herbs in her storage. The blue gray she-cat had ignored her but kept grumbling curses and insults under her breath.

Besides the three she-cats mentioned, there was another cat. A solemn looking yellow she-cat with amber eyes. Jay knew her as Tallow, the mate of Torch, another fighter and the only orange cat besides Ash among the Ivy Cats. The she-cat was decidedly quiet, not making one noise as she cleaned the mud from roots and wrapped cobwebs into a careful ball.

Jay set her mind to quick work, separating her leaves into tidy piles with meticulous movements. "That will do," Tinge grunted when she finished. "Do you remember what they all do?" Tinge asked.

"Coltsfoot heals coughs and rough breathing, comfrey heals broken bones, feverfew cures headaches and fevers, horsetail and marigold fight infection, ragwort leaves help with muscle aches, tormentil also cures infection and weak poisons, and nettle leaves lower the swelling of a wound," Jay mewed, putting away her store of herbs as she recited the herbs.

Tinge nodded, "Well done. I think you have enough knowledge of herbs to at least not be a danger to any cat. The only thing you need now is an herb to help with sprains," the old she-cat mewed. "Dock is better, but comfrey can be used as well," the she-cat murmured. "Also, I mentioned you should acquaint yourself with the herb wintergreen?"

Jay nodded, "Since it grows all year around I didn't find it imperative to gather any yet," she answered. The herb didn't grow in the valley but on the mountainside and Jay had simply been too lazy to bother herself with that. After all, she wouldn't be here a moon from now so why break her back gathering herbs she couldn't take with her?

"Well, Jay, I'm impressed with how quickly you've learned," Tinge admitted as Jay stood and shook the herb dust from her fur.

Jay glanced at the old she-cat in surprise. Tinge had never praised her, barely given a grudging 'okay' now and again, but no compliments. Jay shrugged, she found herbs boring, yes, but her memory was rather tenacious so even when she wasn't been paying much attention she learned quickly.

 _And it might be nice to know a little about herbs to care for my kits,_ she admitted to herself, but she was still stubbornly certain she'd never have need of them. "Can I leave now?" Jay asked, standing and facing Tinge.

The pale she-cat frowned in thought as she stared at her, "Yes, we're done for today," the elder mewed, turning to her own stack of herbs.

"I'm going then," Jay chirped happily, trotting with her tail in the air across the den.

"Good riddance," Rainfall muttered loudly.

Jay ignored her, entertaining thoughts of mild cruelty toward the rude she-cat as she padded out through the dark tunnel into the brighter cave. It was a little after sun-high and most cats had finished their meals and moved on to new tasks.

A couple toms lounged with their she-cats in reclusive spots and a couple chatted together demurely by the light of the entrance. Jay wandered around, keeping to the edges of the cats' vision, since she knew only trouble came from conversing with these cats. She padded to the back of the cave, sitting and staring at the back wall.

She had found herself watching it for quite awhile as she found it very strange. The back wall was formed of dappled gray rock which water cascaded down from above from an unseen crack that stretched across the entire back wall. So that the water continuously washed over the face of the rock, leaving it always shining with water. The water pooled in a gutter at the bottom of the wall and flowed out of the cave by way of a small hole at one end of the wall behind the hunter leader's den, so that the water never flooded the cave floor.

Jay peered at the hole, it was small, but not tiny. She could probably fit her head in, and from there her whole body, through it. But she doubted it led to anywhere and she wasn't fond of close, confining spaces.

"There you are, Jay," she looked over her shoulder as Ash's voice spoke behind her

The red-orange tom padded up to her, his gray eyes shadowed as he looked down at her with an unusually grim expression. Jay regarded him coolly, he looked ready to kill something. "Let's go," he mewed, turning without another word toward the entrance. Jay had considered ignoring him, but she felt it would be stupid to miss what he had to say. At the very least it would be boring to stay behind, so she went with a happy spring in her step.

* * *

Ash led her out of the cave and out into the valley. She followed him quietly enough, hardly sparing a thought for his abrupt want of exercise as he forged ahead with impatient energy. He was silent as he led her on a trail along the stream that ran down the mountain over the cave entrance. The same path they'd followed when Jay had first come to the Ivy Cave.

The trees that bent over the stream dappled the ground with mixed shadows and sunlight. The path was dry and cool, the dirt packed by the tread of paws along the edge of the stream. Rocks stood submerged in the stream and sent little ripples spiraling along the current.

The air was warm, nearly hot, having already forgotten the chill of a few nights ago. The breeze was cool but faint and lazy white clouds hung in the sky that was such a mild blue Jay felt a vague sense of contentment enter her heart upon looking at it.

The lulling babble of the stream and the far off chatter of birds mingled together to give a steady hum over the day. Jay, whose belly was full and heavy would have passed a delightful afternoon by napping in a sun-patch of clovers near the stream, but Ash never paused or even gave a sign that he saw the lethargy of nature.

He padded ahead of her, tail whisking in agitation, much like the day he had brought her here. His head was lowered to be level with his shoulders and he took long strides which broke from the languid rhythm of their surroundings. Jay eyed him with a bit of distance. She didn't know what had gotten under his skin as off late, but she had little patience for drama.

Ash broke off the trail as they reached the end of their tree covering and embarked upon the open hills. Veering right and crossing the shallow stream, Ash led her in the direction of the western mountains and Jay began to consider seriously why he was bringing her all the way out here.

She felt that she had little to fear from him physically. She was quite confident with her skills even if she was heavy with kits. She'd been practicing in the empty herb den to keep her paws quick and her body nimble with the added weight and she was sure she had reached a new peak of accuracy with her strikes.

However, if his plan were to interrogate her she wasn't quite sure she could outsmart him with this lazy state of mind. She stared at his orange back, the sun shone off it and showed off the muscles that strained as he carried himself up and down the hills.

She tried to read what he was thinking but he remained only in a state of restless agitation and betrayed nothing of the cause until Jay sighed and resigned herself to waiting.

Ash finally stopped when they reached the edge of the Ivy Cats territory, in a narrow trough between the last green mesa of the valley and the paler green western mountainside. Jay sat down with a sigh, her fur was hot from the beating sun and her tongue was parched, but there were no streams nearby. Her paws were now tired and they were far from the cave. She glowered at Ash who still had his back turned to her. His ears were pricked and slanted slightly back toward her.

This entire time he had been waiting for her to start the conversation by asking what they were doing. But she'd kept silent while he dragged her out here and she wasn't going to betray that now. He'd have to start explaining himself.

Ash lashed his tail once and turned toward her. "I'm sure you're wondering what we're doing out here," he started, sounding calm but betraying his annoyance with the grating look in his gray eyes, but even with their rough look they were hazy. Jay kept herself composed, her eyes clear as she met his gaze, but she was seething at him on the inside.

"You've been unhappy lately," Jay commented, tucking her tail over her paws.

"Unhappy! Unhappy she says!" Ash ejaculated to himself. He turned his attention back to her, "Unhappy indeed. And do you know why?" he inquired.

Jay shook her head.

"Of course not. But even if you did I doubt you'd tell me," Ash mewed, a sneer spreading across his face. "You're only here to weasel yourself into Python's favor, you don't care if you put me in a difficult spot to do it."

"Should I care?" Jay asked, her voice growing cold. Usually she would find it hilariously hypocritical of him to say something like that, but he didn't seem to be his usual self today and she was also aware that she was taking things closer to heart then usual.

"Of course you should! I hold your life in my paws and I've done my best not to abuse this power because I dislike it, but for your part you should be grateful and at least try to be considerate of me as well," Ash grumbled, pacing back and forth in front of her.

"I should be grateful that you don't kill or hurt me?" Jay asked, wondering if it would help if he could hear himself. Ash didn't respond and Jay got to her paws, "Why don't you just come out and tell me what you are trying to do so that I can avoid getting mixed in with it."

Ash cast her a scathing look, "You would just love me to divulge all my plans to you, wouldn't you?"

"At least tell me what you want me to do or you want me to not do! You're putting blame on me for breaking invisible rules and crossing invisible boundaries!" Jay exclaimed, fed up and confused. She really had no taste for this kind of drama.

Ash turned his back to her again and stood looking a long way off. Here Jay began to second-doubt what was going on. It wasn't part of Ash's nature to get dramatic and make wild assumptions, especially not when he had such a tactful look on his face that he was trying to hide from her. He had always prided himself with being above her on the reasonable and calculating level. Was he putting on an act? Trying to draw something out of her?

Running over everything she cringed as she realized she had come incredibly close to playing along with him, already giving away that she didn't know what his plans were. But that didn't change her situation or plans much so she didn't berate herself over it. Jay sighed and sat down again, looking calmly at Ash again, this time she would control the conversation. "Cut the act and tell me for real what this is about."

Ash's ears pricked, "And I thought I almost had you," he mewed, his voice back to a calmer tone as he turned toward her. He was smiling but his eyes were still grating. "If you had figured it out earlier we wouldn't have had to come out all this way," he commented.

"If you weren't ridiculous you wouldn't have led us out here," Jay retorted. "Now what did you want to tell me?"

Ash sat down facing her and looked solemn. "Python sent new orders for you."

"Oh?" Jay asked, tensing a little as she wondered now what the leader wanted now. "Why would that put you in such a mood?" she mewed suspiciously.

Ash looked at her sternly, "I am a little opposed to the plan. Also..." he looked away for a moment, "He was surprised that you were still alive."

"So he didn't think I'd actually make it," she mused, not particularly surprised but wondering why Ash seemed annoyed by it. "I don't suppose he made a comparison between you and I?" Jay asked casually after noticing the frown he had.

Ash scowled, "He said that we were both full of surprises. I guess he meant in a good way but I don't like to think that we have anything in common."

"That's for sure," Jay agreed. She was sure she wasn't as tiresome as he was. And that her methods were far superior. "But what were the orders?" she asked.

Ash looked at her seriously, "He wants you to stay as long as you can and that when you leave, he wants you to poison the cats. After that, go straight to Python and they will launch their attack while the cats are ill."

Jay looked at him with wide eyes. What did Python want her to do? "He wants me to poison the cats?" she asked, unsure that she had heard him right, but Ash nodded. She shifted her paws awkwardly, although she renounced having anything to do with the Clans, when she was raised by warriors she couldn't help but have some sense of justice.

And poisoning the enemy before attacking was a low blow, as low as attacking elders and kits as it was essentially the same thing. Both targeted mostly helpless cats. But this wasn't the Clans and these weren't warriors. She took a deep breath to steady herself, focusing on watching Ash's reaction. "Did Python specify what poison?"

Ash narrowed his eyes, "No, but are you really going to do it?"

Jay shrugged, lifting her eyes to the sky where a hawk or eagle was doing lazy circles around the mountain tops. "If he ordered it, I have little choice."

"I didn't know you were so loyal," Ash murmured, but he didn't sound like he was complimenting her.

"And what about you?" Jay accused, "I thought you really respected Python."

"I do," Ash defended himself, "I think he's a great cat who fights for what he believes in and sets a good example for the cats he leads. But that doesn't mean I'm willing to go along with all his ideas. Why do you think I'm not an official part of his cats?"

 _Because you're a part of the Ivy Cats? You're manipulative? You have a horrible personality? I don't know, a mix of all three?_ "I thought you worked as an informant for all the cats in the valley so you didn't stay with just one particular sect of cats," Jay mewed.

Ash nodded, "That's a part of it. And if I worked only for Python I would only investigate the cats I live with and that would be much too boring," he yawned as if to prove his point. "Anyways, you'll probably need my help to poison the cats. It's unlikely that we'll get every cat, but the majority for sure. What will you use?" Ash asked, eyes narrowing as he cast her a sidelong glance

"I'll have to think about that. I don't want to use a poison that will kill the cats but one that will incapacitate them for a while," Jay mewed.

"I didn't know you were familiar with poisons," Ash mewed, getting to his paws.

Jay got to her paws as well, "There's a lot you don't know, apparently." She observed that Ash seemed a bit more relaxed, yet there was still a stiffness in his voice. He was up to something and trying desperately to keep her from finding out. "Will we head back now?" Jay asked.

Ash froze and looked at her, "You can start heading back. Since we're out this way I want to check up on some things. I'll meet you back at the stream at dusk," he mewed, running north along the trench that lay between the two elevations.

Jay watched him go suspiciously, no doubt he was up to something. She was sure it had nothing to do with her and now, thanks to Python, she would have to find a poison that was invisible to the senses and easily put into food and didn't kill the cats it poisoned. She didn't have time to worry about him.

Luckily, as an apprentice in the Clans, she'd often spent the gatherings with a certain ShadowClan medicine-cat apprentice who had an unhealthy interest in deadly herbs. She had been a bit perturbed at the time, but her curiosity always overcame horror as the apprentice enthusiastically told her of how deadly all these plants were. She'd always made a point to look for them in the forest and avoid them with a good breach of space.

However, she wasn't sure what poisonous plants were in the valley. She'd seen a couple of yew bushes with their load of crimson death berries left untouched. But those would kill the cats, on second thought, she could cut them up pretty small, but then they might be missed.

Food poisoning, from rotten food, often had a longer lasting effect. But how many cats wouldn't notice they were eating crowfood? She hadn't seen any water hemlock and only a couple clumps of nightshade, but she didn't remember what effect nightshade had, except that it ended in death. She knew there were all kinds of poisonous mushrooms that weren't particularly lethal, but they were easy to taste and smell. Foxglove she felt was a lesser poisonous plant but it was also very colorful and she hadn't seen it at this elevation.

Becoming a bit worried she started wandering around to keep her paws busy, eyes focused on the ground as she puzzled her problem. _Not elderberries, would holly berries work? I think I saw a holly bush not too long ago._ Raising her head she paused to view her surroundings.

She had wandered onto the open mountainside, the green-covered hills rolled away from her to the opposite mountain side and a little to the north bunches of tree tops waved atop the valley floor with sprigs of color where wild flowers lay, in the protection of the trees' thick covering

 _I know where I am,_ she was nearly at Midnight's den, she could see the bank at the bottom of the hill that the den was built under. _Those three elders, surely they know at least something of the mountainous plants._ Bounding across the green covered slope she reached the bottom and hopped delicately down the bank, turning to look into the den.

"Hello?" she called into the dark and silent den.

"Huh? Hello? Whose calling?" a sleepy voice answered with a hint of alarm. It sounded like Pummel and she gave her name. "Well, don't come in or you'll wake the others," the tom mewed, sounding cross now that he knew who had awoken him.

Jay took a few steps back and sat down, waiting patiently for the old gray tom to haul himself out of the long and narrow slit that served as an entrance. He huffed and sat up, shaking out his patchy fur and squinting against the sun as he looked at her. "So you've finally come to visit? I'd almost thought you and your friend had forgotten that we helped you," he snorted.

Jay dipped her head, "Of course not. I'm sorry I haven't come to see you sooner, but I've been busy with... preparations," she mewed, glancing indiscreetly at her belly so that he would understand her implication.

Pummel snorted, "We've been busy too, I'll have you know. But I suppose I can understand what's been occupying you. Well, you chose a nice day to come visit," the elder mewed, looking up at the sky.

"Yes," Jay mewed, nodding her head and glancing up at the pale blue sky, though she still felt hot, tired, and dusty and was not at all enjoying the heat. "I actually came to ask a question, if I may, about the plants in the valley. I want to know about all the poisonous ones so that I can protect my kits from them," she mewed, focusing her gaze on the gray tom again.

Pummel frowned, green eyes narrowed in concentration. Then he blew out a long breath that made his frizzled whiskers quiver. "I was never one for plants. I knew a bit for the sake of taking care of myself, but I never needed to know anything about poison and I never ate or touched anything that I didn't know."

"I know," Jay sighed empathetically, "But I'd like to know so that I could search around my den and get rid of any poisonous plants there are nearby where my kits could get them," she mewed, placing a paw on her rounded belly.

Pummel regarded her for a few moments in silence, "Midnight will be back soon and she knows more about herbs then any of us put together. Except maybe Crystal, who taught Midnight most everything, but she's asleep right now and she doesn't like to be woken. But Midnight could probably tell you better anyways,"

"Really?" Jay asked excitedly, jumping to her paws. "Where is she?" she asked, looking around as if she expected to see the ice-eyed black she-cat on the open slope.

"She just went out to collect some more moss, she'll be back any moment now, you can just wait here," Pummel mewed, a yawn interrupted him and he excused himself to go back into the den, the lethargy of the warm day had evidently worked on all three elders.

Jay waited impatiently, shifting from one paw to the next as she looked out over the green valley for the approach of the black she-cat. The sun was starting to slide down the sky and her shadow grew imperceptibly longer.

Finally she saw a distant black figure moving through the green grasses and she darted from her spot instantly, running lightly toward the she-cat and drawing up in front of the black cat who looked startled to see her. Midnight was carrying a wad of green moss, but she dropped it as Jay halted in front of her.

"Jay! What are you doing here?" the she-cat asked, looking worried and a little anxious.

Jay blinked a couple times, looking Midnight over. She hadn't made any effort to grow close to her host when she first came to the mountains, but she felt they had made some kind of relationship and felt that now within a small glow of pleasantness as she greeted the fluffy she-cat. The she-cat looked healthy, her long black fur and one white paw shone with health, her ice-blue eyes were clear and her voice was strong. But Jay's gaze dropped to Midnight's belly.

Three moons ago Jay may have thought Midnight was only enjoying the rich season of greenleaf. But with her own belly full of kits she knew that wasn't the case. "You're expecting kits," Jay murmured, her voice softer then she would have imagined possible so that she hardly recognized it.

Midnight drew her front legs close and looked away. "You don't seem very happy about it," Jay continued, a twinge of worry dampening her mood.

Midnight glanced at her quickly and then flashed her gaze away, opening her mouth to release nothing but a heavy sigh. "What are you doing here, is everything okay?" Midnight mewed after a break of silence, facing her again.

Jay shuffled her paws, "I wanted to ask you a bit about what kind of poisonous herbs there are in the mountains," she mewed, feeling a little awkward to change the subject but not forgetting her mission.

Midnight's ears pricked and she looked at her inquisitively, "Why do you want to know about that?"

"I want to make sure there aren't any poisonous plants around my den that my kits could get into," Jay mewed, walking with Midnight as the black she-cat picked up her moss and headed toward her den.

"Well, there are plenty of poisonous plants here. But cats don't usually eat herbs, it isn't in their nature," Midnight mewed around the moss.

"I'd rather be on the safe side, this is my first litter after all," Jay mewed.

"Yes," Midnight sighed, "Well, I could tell you which ones I know to be poisonous," the black she-cat began listing the names of several plants. Some Jay recognized and some she didn't. "As a guide, most plants with bright flower petals are poisonous and there are lots of seeds that can be poisonous. But again, I don't think even a kit would be stupid enough to eat plants," Midnight mewed. They were standing outside her den now, the landscape was colored warmly by the orange light of approaching dusk and their shadows were long and dark. She needed to hurry and leave.

"Oh, but you should be weary of the hydrangea," Midnight added, "It's a colorful plant, but since it smells so sweet, some cats accidentally eat it."

Jay frowned, "Hydrangeas aren't poisonous," she mewed, looking at the black she-cat with some doubt. Not to mention hydrangeas were usually only found around twoleg nests and there were none up here. There had been an elder in ShadowClan who had once told her that he had eaten one hydrangea leaf every day of his life. It was almost an addicting plant to chew upon and very sweet, but since it had no medicinal purposes and was difficult to find, Clan medicine-cats didn't keep it within their stocks.

"Hydrangeas are toxic to some degree and are one of the few that a cat might eat accidentally. A bite or two might just give you a bellyache, but a whole leaf could confine you to your nest for a few days," Midnight warned.

"Are there even hydrangeas here?" Jay asked, frowning as she tried to remember seeing the colorful plant.

Midnight nodded, her ice-blue eyes bright. I tried mixing medicine with it once since it was so sweet-smelling. But I just ended up getting the cat even more sick, poor thing," the black she-cat gave a mrow of amusement, "But I know better now!"

Jay was feeling excited now. A cat might not be suspicious of something that smelled good and it wouldn't kill any cat, just put them out of service for a while. It was nearly perfect. The hardest part would be camouflaging the bright flowers, but if she dried them they would turn brown and that would be good. Besides sneaking them inside the cave, she felt that there wouldn't be any problems with carrying out this plan.

"Thank you, Midnight," she purred to the black she-cat. "You've been very helpful," she mewed, preparing to leave.

"Goodbye, Jay," Midnight mewed, "Stay safe and come see me when your kits are old enough to leave alone," the black she-cat added.

"Yes," Jay mewed, dipping her head, "I'll want to see your kits as well," she purred. But she noticed as she started padding away Midnight's hesitant expression. "Is there anything else?" Jay asked kindly, she didn't feel any particular affection for the black she-cat but she did hold a bit of sympathy for Midnight's seemingly unhappy situation.

"Jay," Midnight began, taking a step toward her with nervous eyes, "Is the father of your kits Ash?"

"What?" Jay looked at the she-cat with wide eyes, "No, why would you ask me that?" she mewed, shocked and a little offended at the notion.

Midnight dropped her gaze, "You just have been with him a lot since I first met you, sorry for the presumption," she murmured, but she appeared relieved as she looked at the ground. "Jay?" she jerked her head up, her eyes lit with a sudden fire. "Don't ever trust Ash. He's manipulative and vindictive. He can make you believe something that you knew for certain wasn't true. He'll use you and toss you aside when he's worn you out. The only thing he knows how to do is destroy." Midnight spoke with such conviction, her tone laced with venom, her eyes sparking with self righteous fire. The laid back kitten was transformed into a growling lion and then, before long, regressed back to the innocent kitten.

Jay looked at her slightly puzzled. Midnight was trembling from tension, her eyes gleamed with anger and pain. _I know Midnight and Ash knew each other, but I thought they had a better relationship then that, or more exactly, not a relationship at all._

Her eyes were inexplicably drawn to Midnight's belly. She had shown that strange gleam in her eye when Jay commented about her expecting kits. But Ash couldn't be connected to that, surely. Jay felt perturbed by the idea and she shyly met Midnight's gaze, not betraying anything or asking anything. "I'll remember that."


	17. Thunder Falls

After the chill and the heat, the mountains entered into a period of rather consistent weather. In the morning the sun rose into a cloudless sky with hues of gold light dancing across the benign gray mountains. The shadows moved with the sun across the valley as the fireball heated the inhabitants.

By sun-high, clouds started moving across the sky. Feathery and few at first, they grew in size and number until the sun was in a constant game of hide-and-seek behind them. They also grew darker; from snowy white to eventually a dark gray.

Not long before dusk a rain shower would move through; lighting, thunder, and fierce winds not uncommon company to those showers. They didn't last too long and the winds carried them swiftly down the mountain and by twilight only a few trailing clouds remained. Leaving the valley dripping wet and refreshed.

The clouds continued to clear out over night, leaving the silver-dusted sky clear for the pleasure viewing of the creatures with more nocturnal instincts. The night was cool as a fresh spring brook and the senses were heightened by the refreshed feel of nature. The moon rose and set in its own time and all was reset for the next day.

Not more then two days had passed since Jay had narrowly escaped falling into Ash's play act and met up with Midnight. The night was as previously described, crisp and fresh, albeit a little brisk but perfectly silent with not even a faint whisper of wind; which was odd for the mountains.

Jay had met up with Amelia as she did every third night, but she found it difficult to sit still through the report. The grass was wet and uncomfortable to sit upon, the slate colored sky was interrupted only by the tiny specks of light that freckled it. The moon, more then a half-moon now and waxing toward full, seemed large and close at paw, sitting just at the peak of the northern mountain.

"Are you listening?" Amelia mewed, a bit impatiently.

Jay looked at her, thanks to the moon's light she could see everything on the open hillside, it had made her consider moving their meeting to beneath the trees where the shadows hid them. But not a thing stirred the silence or moved across the landscape. Not even Ash, whom she knew was skulking about on his own business.

"You were saying you have found the leaders of the cats controlling the pass?" Jay mewed, stifling a yawn of boredom. Her kits were shifting impatiently in her belly and she hoped to take a short walk before meeting up with Ash so that they would sleep soundly all night long. Not that she had much hope of sleep, a light repose was all she could hope for and was all she was used to.

"Yes. There are four cats who commonly take command. I even have figured out the chain of command," Amelia mewed, not waiting for Jay to respond as she continued on in her monotonous report. "The top cat's name is Brie, she's not very imposing in size but she isn't tiny either. Her fur is pale gray with black brindle stripes and she's got white paws, they're disproportionately wide, as all mountain cats' paws are, and she has green eyes."

"Doesn't sound like anything special," Jay grunted, "What about her age? From what the valley cats say, they're all fairly young."

"That is the case," Amelia agreed, "Mostly they're around your age, I would say none of them are more then seventeen moons old. Also, Brie has a littermate, a tom named Eagle. He doesn't resemble her very much besides being unimpressive in size; his fur is dark brown and not at all marked. His eyes are amber, nearly brown."

"And these are the two that have the most power in the group?" Jay affirmed.

Amelia nodded, the tips of her black ears sparkling in the moonlight and her amber eyes gleaming. "They are also the two who are most familiar with Python. I still haven't found their connection yet, so let me continue. The two others who often hold command are older then Eagle and Brie, but they all seem to be close friends. One of them is a tom named Salt, his fur is a creamy white and he is rather large for a mountain cat, nearly as large as Python and he is the one who does any battle training that the cats sometimes partake in."

"So they do train?" Jay mewed, a little surprised.

"Yes. They also hunt. They don't find very many cats that will pay their fee. Anyways, the cat who is on the lowest chain of command is a tom named Spot, he isn't small but rather scrawny. He's got black fur and a white spot on his chest. He is quite capable but rather reserved. Unlike the other cats who travel back and forth from in the mountains to down the mountains, he always remains in the mountains so I've had more of a chance to observe him," Amelia mewed.

"And you said that there are about fourteen cats in total? I feel like we fought more then that just to get into the mountains," Jay mused.

"We didn't actually do any of the fighting," the black she-cat reminded her.

Jay felt a flash of anger at Amelia, "Of course I remember, but we did see them all fighting" she growled.

"You are right, there used to be more cats then there are now. Lots of cats dropped out after the battle, I imagine none of them thought they'd actually have to fight, they would just get a bunch of prey by force of their numbers. And many of them were young and restless and didn't enjoy traveling back and forth over the same stretch of ground and getting nothing, or little, for their efforts. Especially after Python got his cats through without having to give them anything, quite a few left the mountains then."

Jay nodded, "I understand that. Most cats won't work without a reward. They can fend for themselves just as well elsewhere and without the trekking back and forth. But with this fall in numbers we can't consider them much of a threat anymore," she mused.

"Is that wise?" Amelia spoke up and Jay glanced at her sharply.

"Yes, I don't feel very threatened by them if they are losing members and continuing to stick to their routine. I don't imagine they will do anything unusual for a while now. However, there is still the matter of Python's connection to them. I would like to look into that personally later. But for now we can drop our observation of them," Jay decided.

Amelia dipped her head, "As you wish. Do you have any new orders for me?"

"Yes, in fact, I do. Python gave me orders to poison the cats when I leave them. I am nearly ready to go and will have to gather enough poison to carry out my escape."

"I don't really know anything about that..." Amelia's mew trailed off and she shifted her paws awkwardly.

"You've been around for so long and haven't bothered to learn about poison?" Jay mewed in disbelief.

"I know some poisons, mostly ones that cause short-term paralysis. But I haven't had to use them in a long while. I don't remember very well," Amelia offered.

"That's no problem. I already know what plant I want to use and I've had a hard enough time finding it," Jay grumbled, rubbing her sore paws on the wet grass. "I want to use hydrangea leaves. I found a bunch of those plants growing on a little mesa half-way up the mountain that is to our northwest," Jay mewed, signaling vaguely toward the mountain in the dark. "I want you to gather as many leaves as you can for the next three days and leave them down among the roots of the oak that is near the marigold patch right over there," she mewed, nodding at where she knew the yellow flowers were at the edge of the woods. "I'll collect them and sneak them back into the cave along with my other herbs."

"I'll do it," Amelia mewed, her voice sharp. "But what do you want me to do after that?"

Jay shrugged, "After I leave I'll talk to Python and see where things stand. I'll have new orders for you then."

"You don't want me to watch any cat? No preparations at all for the battle?" Amelia pressed.

Jay looked at her, Amelia's amber eyes glowed red with earnest. "What are you getting at?"

"Ash. You, yourself, considered him a major threat at first. The only thing that could rip your plans apart. And now it almost seems like you've dismissed him," Amelia growled.

Jay bristled, "I spend enough time with him to keep an eye on him myself. And no, I don't consider him as much of a threat. His plans are long-term and slow-moving, I don't need to do anything right now," Jay answered, her voice a tad haughty.

Amelia growled, her tail bushing up, "Your naivety is showing. You don't see what he's doing under your nose and he's taking advantage of that. Don't let your confidence turn into complacence!"

"It won't," Jay mewed in a cool voice. "I have things well under control, just do your own part."

As Jay was glaring at the black figure and smoldering eyes she felt a sharp instinct to draw back and as she jerked her head back she felt claws comb through her whiskers. Her heart beat soared at the sudden movement and jumped backward onto her paws, staring at Amelia. The black she-cat had mocked her, but never before given the slightest hint of rebellion.

"I'm not your subordinate that follows your orders blindly," Amelia growled, drawing herself to full height and looming over her so that her figure blocked the moon from Jay's vision and the silver glow silhouetted the black cat's sharply pointed ears, head, and shoulders.

Jay's heartbeat was slowing as she gained control of herself but her breathing was still ragged when Amelia loomed closer and her eyes were stuck on Amelia's glowing eyes. The black she-cat seemed to grow in size and her dense presence made it difficult for Jay to focus on anything but the creature before her.

"I will obey you. But not because you are wise or admirable, you don't inspire confidence or any virtue close to trust. You are an empty, greedy rat who will scamper around the legs of others in envious attempts to trip them up and bring them down to your own level. You will never rise from the ground because you will never try. You squander your talents in bitter schemes under the sham of caring for others. Your lie is so large that you are deceived as well, but I am not, and _I_ stay by your side only to see you smothered and choked by the very things you planted."

Amelia finished her defamation and with a final glowering look retreated into the dark of the night, disappearing from the range of Jay's senses in mere seconds. The gray she-cat was left feeling cold despite the warmth and agitated despite the calm.

Her first thought was wondering: Was what Amelia said true? She immediately denied that Amelia was completely correct in her hypothesis. However, she was willing to consent that the black she-cat had hit close to the truth on several points.

She could admit that her tactics could be a little... low at times. Certainly most Clan cats wouldn't approve. But Amelia was the last one to criticize her. The black she-cat had helped her father take over the Clans, subjugate the Clan cats, spy on the Clan cats, poison Jay's own mother, and try to kill Scorch at several other times, continuing to spy on the Clans and work toward their destruction until she finally left the lake for good.

With Amelia and all her opinions denounced in her eyes, Jay turned her back on the moonlit hill and slipped into the ranks of the silent trees, pacing down the shadow striped corridor on the path back to the cave.

While padding silently over the short green grass Jay considered another point Amelia had made. Had she been too dismissive of Ash? She hadn't been able to learn much about him since she had come to the cave, neither his goals nor feelings.

She knew he gathered information from around the mountain and gave it away for a price, usually more information. He did that with some of the Ivy Cats, some of Python's cats, Python himself, and several other cats who lived around the valley whom he called his clients. But why he did this and to what end were still unknown to her.

Still, Jay was sure that he wouldn't interfere with her plans if she didn't interfere with his and she had little desire to that for now. She could leave him alone and trust that he left her alone, that would be alright for the time being.

Jay halted as she came out of the cover of the trees near the base of the mountain. The quiet gurgle of a stream of water was in her ears and she could see the stream snaking over the dark forest floor like a piece of spider web. It ran swiftly down the side of the mountain, falling over the entrance of the cave where she had resided for nearly a moon and would soon retire from indefinitely.

The cool night air flowed down the mountain and carried the scents of the ivy cats. The scent, although not completely unpleasant, aroused unpleasant thoughts and she knew she had formed a vague disdain for the Ivy Cats.

"Have you been waiting long?" a voice asked.

Jay didn't turn to see Ash's approach, she had heard his paw steps from a long way off. "No, I only just got here," she mewed as he came up by her side. She glanced at him quickly, he smelled fresh and clean as if he had just washed himself thoroughly. What scent had he been trying to hide? He didn't say anything and his eyes only glowed dimly from the shadow.

"Let's go, it's already past midnight," Ash grunted, leading her up the mountainside. The soft dirt crumbled and rolled down the hill where they loosened it with their pawsteps, Jay wondered how long this deteriorating mountainside would be able to serve as a home for the Ivy Cats. She struggled against the weight in her belly and felt as lumbering as a badger, sliding back with each step forward. Another reason to leave the Ivy Cats as soon as possible.

"Do you know how much longer you'll stay?" Ash asked, as if reading her mind. Or hearing her muttered curses.

"No longer then I need to," Jay answered shortly.

"How are you going to poison every cat?" Ash asked.

"I'll tell you when I'm ready to do it," Jay mewed warily. Although she doubted he would mess with Python's orders, she preferred that he didn't know any more then necessary about what she was doing. After all, he didn't tell her everything he did for Python either.

They reached the entrance in silence and Jay slipped in first, stepping quietly behind the water chute into the dark cave. The silver moonlight glowed through the entrance, imprinting watery shadows across the cave walls. The ivy blocked most of the light from passing through it, but a few streaks snuck their way under the curtain, allowing Jay to see where she was putting her paws as she headed for the fighters den, Ash at her side.

Together they entered the dark den slowly, keeping careful care that their paws didn't make a sound as their shadows slipped over the quietly snoring cats. Jay curled down comfortably into the nest they shared, her paws and legs aching more then she'd ever admit to.

Ash laid down in the next by her, his warm fur just brushing hers as she closed her eyes, letting the warm breaths of a dozen mouths chase away the lingering chill that clung to her skin. "Good night, Ash," she mumbled, tucking her tail over her nose.

Ash shifted so that his spine was against hers, "Sleep tight, Jay," he mumbled back, the fog of sleepiness already taken hold of his voice.

Jay let her breath deepen and calmness wash over her. But she didn't retreat to the dark recesses of sleep, she went over her dreary day and considered what she could do differently and the different ways she could use her increased knowledge to her advantage.

Finally, having exhausted her thoughts, she focused on her breathing and the comfortable warmth she got from the cats around her. Drifting along the edge of sleep until at last the first few cats started rising, shaking sleep from their fur as they headed out into the brisk mountain morning.

Only when the light started filtering into the cave did Jay relax enough to enjoy a peaceful repose. And she enjoyed it immensely, unaware of the orange furred creature that watched her, gray eyes narrowed and glinting with pleasant cruelty.

* * *

The next day dawned like all the others, clear and blue. Jay spent the morning in the medicine-cat den, occupying herself with sorting through her herbs as she and every other she-cat did everyday. Although, how much change could occur overnight? But she chatted politely with the other she-cats that came and went from the den as she isolated herself in the dusty den.

They had warmed up to her and most of them had a word or two of friendliness to give after greetings. Rainfall, of course, was not numbered with these and continued her reign of disdain for her though she didn't seem to care if she were the only one who didn't like Jay, and never tried to turn any of the other cats against her. Jay almost liked her for that.

Thyme was her closest friend and they often sorted their herbs together now that Jay was no longer taking lessons with Tinge. Jay had grown increasingly close to the she-cat over the past half moon. The she-cat's friendly, honest, and curious nature worked well with Jay's reserved, cool, detached one. But the gray she-cat didn't come into the den that day, at least not while Jay was in it.

Aside from Thyme, Jay also sought the company of another she-cat when she grew tired of herbs but didn't want to wander around in the cave where she could get lectured or harassed. The particular creature was the hunter Crag's mate, Swoop. She was a graceful and lithe red she-cat with white hairs streaked through her fur and gold eyes like early morning sunbeams.

Swoop wasn't as curious as Thyme or as considerate either, but she was an interesting cat, her personality either hyperactive or subdued. She was older then Jay by quite a bit, but not at all old in the sense of the word, and had one nursing kit, a tom named Eagle, who looked just like his mother except that his fur had a browner mix in the red, tinted from his father's side, no doubt.

It was with this she-cat that Jay spent her morning, chatting pleasantly about how her son was doing. "He's growing fast, he'll be five moons before you know it," Jay mewed cheerfully, Swoop was in a subdued mood, her eyes downcast and focused on her work.

"Yes, he's nearly at four moons already. He'll be happier as a trainee," Swoop answered.

"It must be hard to not have any other kits his age in the den," Jay continued. "But still, once he becomes a trainee it won't be long and then the present trainees will become full hunters and leave him."

"His father spends a lot of time with him and he follows the trainees around now. He doesn't seem too lonely."

"I suppose he can't miss what he's never had?" Jay asked, "Well, if he's not sad or lonely, then it doesn't matter," Jay mewed, finishing going through her herbs. She was discreetly taking out leaves that were not really bad so that she would have more room for the hydrangea.

Swoop nodded, inspecting a leaf that had no visible damage but had an odd smell to it. "And I don't think he'll have to wait to long for a mate," she mewed.

"Oh really? I didn't know any of the hunter's mates were expecting," Jay mewed, wondering who it could be. Besides Swoop there were Thyme and Rainfall, both of whom she knew were not expecting, and then Whisper and Feather. Whisper, she was sure, was too old to have kits. Being the mate of her great uncle who was as old as Rainstone. Maybe Feather was still young enough...

"Flower and Vale are both expecting," Swoop mewed, looking up at her from her leaves.

Jay frowned, "But those are mates of fighters," she mewed in confusion.

Swoop started to explain but was cut off as Ash's voice called out to her from the tunnel. Twitching her tail irritably, she muttered a curse under her breath and hastily put her herbs away, taking the bundle of leaves she wanted to discard and padding out through the dark tunnel.

She met Ash at the other end, waiting for her with a matching irritable gleam in his eyes. "What?" she asked, muttering around the leaves in her mouth.

"Thunderstorm wants a private patrol, he said I could bring you to look for herbs," Ash growled, muttering to the side, "Like I need his permission."

"I didn't know you were so easily stirred up," Jay purred, put in a good mood at Ash's foul one.

"I'm not," he grumbled, leading her to the entrance of the cave, "But I don't like disrespect."

Jay hummed and followed him out of the cave, passing beneath the falling cascade of water and stepping down onto the crumbling mountainside. "They're waiting for us down there," Ash mewed, pointing with his tail down at two tiny figures standing at the bottom of the mountains. From that distance, Jay couldn't see anything except that there were two figures and they were both gray.

"Who's the other?" Jay asked as they slid down the hill, she had tossed her herbs into the stream and was now free to use her mouth.

"Thyme, Thunderstorm wants her in case something happens," Ash mewed.

"Is where we're going dangerous?" Jay asked, the hunting patrols sometimes took along fighters, but never their she-cats.

Ash snorted, "No, he's just an idiot. I doubt he even plans on hunting much."

The coldness Ash had in his voice intrigued Jay. She didn't know much about Thunderstorm, except what Thyme sometimes told her. He wasn't altogether ambitious but he had the usual fire of wanting to be better then the rest. He wasn't all that skilled at hunting, but could bring in a respectable catch for his position as a trainee. Although he was nearly as old as Jay, he- along with Olive- had chosen to not become full hunters though they had finished their training. Thyme hadn't told her the reason so she could only speculate.

They reached the bottom of the mountain and Jay followed Ash as he went up to the tall dark gray tom. His amber eyes flashed with annoyance as Ash dipped his head in greeting, "I don't like to be kept waiting. See if you can keep up with your clumsy paws," the trainee snapped, darting away onto a forest path with Thyme following discreetly behind.

Jay exchanged a glance with Ash, "I hate him too," she told Ash as he gave her a 'now do you understand?' look. They took off into the woods after him, running side by side in unparalleled harmony, moving around obstacles in the forest as one.

"He thinks that all fighters are clumsy and only have brute strength," Ash growled as they raced along the scent trail Thunderstorm had left.

"Clearly he's never had to fight," Jay puffed, indignant on her own part. Having been trained to both fight and hunt, she knew that both had their difficulties but that one was far tougher on the body then the other.

"He also acts like all fighters are complete idiots! As if hunters are the only ones who have to memorize techniques," Ash growled, his gaze was growing darker and darker. This sparked Jay's curiosity and she decided to indulge him a bit longer.

"I bet he wouldn't last give seconds in a real fight," Jay muttered.

"No way. He's mediocre at hunting, he would be useless if his prey actually fought back," Ash mewed.

"He probably isn't brave enough to face anything bigger then a rabbit," Jay sniffed, gathering her legs and launching herself over a fallen log, Ash mirroring her movements at her side.

"Jay," Ash growled as they landed, "I know what you're doing," he mewed, looking at her reprovingly.

Jay shrugged, "You tried to do it to me not that long ago, am I not allowed the same chance?"

Ash sighed, "I guess we're both to smart for such peasant tricks."

"We'll just have to try something better," Jay mewed, looking evenly at Ash as they started to run again.

Ash was silent after that, but he seemed to not be as irritated as before but almost amused. "There they are," he mewed, nodding ahead at a clearing where the sun came through the trees and lit up the green grass that was dotted with colorful flowers, butterflies flitting in between the flowers as Thunderstorm swatted at them lazily from where he lay on his side, drinking in the sunlight with Thyme sitting behind him, washing his pelt with long soothing strokes.

"Took you long enough!" Thunderstorm called haughtily, nodding at a piece of dead prey that lay near his paws, "I've already made my first catch."

"Then why didn't you continue hunting?" Ash grunted, walking over to the gray tom, Jay followed him with narrowed eyes. That piece of fresh-kill wasn't fresh, she touched it as she walked by and it wasn't warm at all. It was her guess that he had either caught it earlier, been lucky enough to find it in another hunter's catch, or had fount it dead, in which case it wasn't safe to eat.

"I couldn't leave my fresh-kill unprotected," Thunderstorm growled, glaring at Ash, "Or are you that _stupid_ that you would leave prey for a hawk, eagle, or rogue to steal?"

Ash's shoulders tensed, looking down at the cocky younger cat. But he didn't say a word about it, he just dipped his head, "Well I'm here now, I'll watch your prey while you go hunt."

"You can come with me, the she-cats can watch the prey while they look for their herbs. If I get attacked by a hawk or eagle I'll need you," Thunderstorm mewed, though he still didn't get to his paws.

"What if the she-cats get attacked?" Ash suggested.

"I didn't take you to protect _them_ , you're here to protect _me_ ," Thunderstorm growled, then he muttered in a voice purposefully loud enough to Ash to hear, "You're such an _idiot_."

Ash looked over his shoulder and made another, 'now do you understand?' face and Jay nodded several times to assure him she understood. Unfortunately, Thunderstorm noticed her gesture and with a shouted, "hey," swiped his claws over her ears.

She barely saw him move, her eyes being focused on Ash. She felt the hot pain slice across her ears and then warm blood start to trickle down her ears in an irritating sort of way. Thunderstorm loomed over her, a satisfied look on his face, "Now what was that look for before?"

His shadow was cast over her, he wasn't much bigger then her but he stood about a mouse-length taller above her. However, even though she knew that she was at his mercy and that protecting herself would mean endangering herself to these cats, she wasn't the least bit afraid. Perhaps she did still have a hint of a warriors spirit, but she knew she was stronger then the enemy before her and that gave a sort of strength that can't be measured through physical tests.

His smile, not quite cruel, but rather condoning and insolent, etched itself into her mind and she looked at him steadily. "I'm sorry I offended you," she mewed in a tone that was both apologetic in itself, but did not actually apologize for anything. Thunderstorm, though, wasn't sharp enough to know the difference and he backed up a pace before Ash pushed his way between the two of them, waving Jay back as he faced Thunderstorm.

He muttered a few words to the gray tom and Jay only caught the last few, "Don't ever do that again." Then Ash lifted his head, "Everyone, come on, Thyme, grab the prey, you'll accompany us into the forest."

With authority being shifted from Thunderstorm to Ash the party continued in silence back into the shaded woods. Thyme held the piece of prey in her mouth and walked by Jay's side behind the two toms.

"Are you okay?" the gray she-cat asked worriedly, eying her ears.

Jay nodded, the blood had already stopped and she didn't really feel much pain, though she wanted to clean the dried blood off as soon as possible. "I'm fine, don't worry about it."

"Okay," Thyme mewed, dropping her gaze, "What herbs are you looking for?" the gray she-cat asked.

"Some marigold, maybe tansy," Jay mewed vaguely, she was mostly looking for some strong smelling herbs that would help mask the scent of hydrangea when she picked it up. Hopefully Amelia had already managed to get quite a bit of the leaves to the designated spot.

"I think I see some tansy over there," Thyme mewed, nodding into the dark green shadows of the forest. Jay squinted her eyes and peered where the she-cat had indicated, spotting a distant spot of yellow growing in a break of sunlight.

"Good eyes," Jay mewed, bounding over to the plant and quickly nipping off four long stalks, trotting back to rejoin the she-cat before either of the toms noticed.

"Is that all you need?" Thyme asked.

"It's more then enough, I already have a bit, so this it to just top it off," Jay mumbled around her herbs. Now that talking was more difficult they fell into a comfortable silence.

Thunderstorm stopped to hunt a few times and they would stand off with Ash so as not to interfere. Jay watched the tom with a critical eye, his form was good and his balance seemed flawless on the approach of the prey. However, he had trouble keeping his wits about him when he was focused on the prey and would brush up against things that alerted the intended prey to his approach. Out of four attempts, he only caught two pieces of prey.

"Not too bad, eh?" Thunderstorm puffed his chest in pride as he nodded at his three pieces of prey. Thyme purred in quiet agreement while Jay shared a scathing glance with Ash. If she had hunted like that in front of her mentor, she would have gotten an earful. And if Ash, as a fighter, only beat two out of four opponents he faced, he'd be dead.

"It's nearly dusk," Ash mewed, looking up through the tree branches at the sky. The gray clouds had rolled in and a distant rumble echoed across the mountains. "Looks like it's going to be a storm," he added, narrowing his gaze.

"Thyme, come get this prey," Thunderstorm ordered, nodding at the pile that he and Ash had been carrying. The gray she-cat, who was still holding the first piece of freshkill Thunderstorm had produced on the trip, headed to the pile and expertly started gathering it together, laying the largest piece across her shoulders and picking up the other by the tail with her mouth.

Jay took the distraction to approach Ash. The orange tom was watching the two mates with a frown and didn't turn to look at her. "When we go back to the cave, head for the hills where we often meet up," she murmured in his ear.

He didn't signal that he heard her by a flick of the ear but Jay knew he had heard and he would do it. "Alright, let's go," Ash mewed in a loud voice, turning on his heels and heading along a different trail that would take them at an angle to the hill and then to the cave. This time Jay walked with Ash in the front while Thunderstorm and Thyme brought up the rear.

Jay glanced over her shoulder, Thunderstorm was boasting his hunting skills to Thyme, describing how expertly he had killed the hare Thyme was now carrying on her . Jay marveled at how Thyme could purr and stroke his ego like that. "They make quite a pair," Jay muttered through her herbs.

"Thyme is probably the only cat that could get along with him," Ash grunted, "I'm not nearly the only one who has problems with him."

"Who are his parents?" Jay asked. He was fairly young, so his parents should still be alive.

"He's Blizzard and Swoop's son from their last litter, his brother died as a kit and his sister is dead as well. His friend Olive is Cedar's son," Ash explained.

"Cedar doesn't have a mate," Jay frowned, "Did she die in the sickness too?"

Ash nodded, "Lots of cats died, everyone lost someone," his gray eyes glazed for a moment as he looked down and he flexed his claws in agitation. This always happened, whenever the sickness came up, he became frustrated, but with what?

"In any case," Jay carried on, "At least he's got a good mate, I only hope Thyme's good nature will rub off on him. Not that it's my problem," she added.

"Unfortunately you overlooked something," Ash mewed, looking at her.

"Oh yeah?" Jay mewed challengingly, irked that he disagreed with her closing statement.

"Thunderstorm isn't bright enough to realize it and he'll probably fall before he realizes what he holds," Ash mewed, looking her in the eye and quickening his pace.

Jay walked behind him, not noticing the green forest around her or the gray clouds above her, eyes drawn on the ground and thoughts drawn in. But she wasn't thinking about what Ash had said, Thunderstorm's incorrigible behavior was of no trouble to her. No, she was thinking about what Amelia had told her, that she had dismissed Ash too quickly. _At times I think he is of little immediate threat, and at other times, as like now, he seems so foresighted that I can't help but worry about his plans. He's smart and skilled, maybe not as skilled as I, but just as smart if not smarter, and that is what really matters in this game._

"Hey, what's that?" Thunderstorm's voice spoke up out of the background she'd been ignoring and she noticed it not because it was loud, but because it was ridged with fear.

Jay looked around, they were climbing up the hill near where Amelia should have hidden the plants. The wind was a thrill whistle over the tops of the hills and did little but make her whiskers dance on her face. She narrowed her eyes and looked up at the dark gray sky, the clouds almost ready to break over the valley. The distant flashes of lighting in the distance accompanied by grumbles of thunder.

But her eyes focused on something else. It was an eagle, she could see the gold-brown wings and the circles it turned. But its circles weren't lazy and it seemed closer then she had seen it before, its huge body looked about the size of two or three cats and she was sure it outdid any owl she'd ever seen.

Still, would a bird pose any problem for a group of cats? Somehow, she wasn't confident in the answer being negative and although she was sure her Clan would have laughed at her, she was frightened by the eagle. "Ash, let's get under cover," she mewed through her herbs, bounding up to his side again.

Ash had stopped and was watching the eagle too, "Yeah, we need to get under those trees, but if we move too quickly the eagle will strike."

"Is it dangerous?" Jay asked worriedly.

"An eagle has never taken a cat while I've been alive, but they are strong enough to take a cat if we're not careful." Ash raised his voice, "Thunderstorm! You and Thyme make a run for it!" he called, "Get under the trees, I'll hold it off if it comes close," he called as the gray cats started hurrying over the hill, spurred by fear to not ask any questions. "You go too," Ash mewed, turning to her.

Jay snorted, "I can fight."

"You're heavy with kits, you'll just get in the way," Ash snapped. "And if your kits get hurt, I'll get in trouble, so just go."

Jay rolled her eyes, but she did move. She wasn't particularly anxious about facing a gigantic bird in a fight right now. She bounded after Thunderstorm who was streaking over the hill, moving much faster then Thyme who was weighed down by the prey she carried.

Jay ran alongside Thyme, picking the hare from her back and staying by her side though she could have run much faster alone. Thunderstorm let out a warning shout ahead as he reached the peak of the hill and Jay jerked her head up in time to see a large shadow cover her, nearly blinding her with the darkness and the wind its wings kicked up made her squint her eyes.

The eagle swooped past them and she saw its carved talons stretched out, its beady eyes locked and its curved yellow beak gleamed like a sharpened tooth. Thyme gasped and let out a cry as she saw the giant bird reach her mate. Jay and Thyme skidded to a stop as Thunderstorm let out a pained screech and was plucked off the ground by his shoulders, his paws flailing wildly as he twisted in the birds grasp.

Jay and Thyme stood petrified with horror but Jay stumbled out of it as Ash flew by, an orange streak who's paws barely touched the ground. He didn't hesitate as he let out a ferocious screech and launched himself into the air, hitting one of the eagle's wings and holding onto it with his claws.

The bird let out a screech as it fluttered clumsily over the ground, unable to gain any altitude with Ash tearing at its wing and Thunderstorm struggling in its grasp. Jay shook herself hard, this was no time to stand idly by. "Get to cover," Jay ordered Thyme who looked at her blankly, eyes wide with piteous fear.

Jay turned and raced for the eagle, the bird had let go of Thunderstorm with one talon and was clawing at Ash, Jay could see the red welts on his flank where the talons had scratched, but he didn't let up at tearing at the eagle. The scent of his blood stirred Jay, a feeling that had remained dormant too long, a storm that raged to break. The scene she raced towards slowed down, the beating of the eagle's wings matched her heartbeat, Thunderstorm's cries wet her appetite, Ash's blood-stained claws captivated her and the falling feathers were like toys for her to bat at.

She forgot the weight in her belly, the tiredness in her paws and the drag at her back. She reached the top of the hill and launched herself high into the air, higher then Ash, and landed flat on the eagle's back. The bird fell further with the added weight and she didn't give it time to recover but unsheathed her claws and curled them into it's neck, cutting with tearing precision at the jugular vein.

The blood flowed and the eagle's tactic changed as it felt itself assaulted from yet another cat, it dropped Thunderstorm and focused solely on freeing itself. As soon as Thunderstorm was released, Ash dropped to the ground and the eagle immediately started to mount into the air. Jay scowled as she saw the ground getting further away, she leaped from the eagle before it could grab her with its now two free talons and landed lightly on her paws, the fall being nearly six fox-lengths. Her paws were covered with blood and broken feathers but not a scratch was on her pelt. The eagle's screeches died as it flew away, not as swiftly as before.

Jay watched it with a glare, with the thrill of the fight fading she tried to hold it close as it slipped away. For barely a moment she had felt more alive then she had in awhile, and now that it left her she slipped back into the dull coolness of temper in which she lived her life.

"Thunderstorm, are you alright?" Ash's clear voice brought her attention to the gray tom. Ash and Thyme were bending over the hunter, blocking most of her vision. Jay shook some of the feathers from her paws as she strode over to them, leaning against Thyme's worried figure to look down at the gray tom. The fur on his shoulders were all matted and bloodied where the talons had held him as he struggled. The wounds were deep but they would heal, she wasn't concerned and barely pitying for all his annoyances.

What did worry her, however, was the wound on his face. The eagle's talons, while trying to pick Ash off its wing, must have scraped across Thunderstorms face and his eyelids were torn and bloody as his eyes remained shut. _Oh dear_ , she had never seen a cat get blinded, but she had seen her mother's scars across her eyes that had blinded her, these looked sickeningly similar.

"We should bandage his wounds and get him back," Jay murmured into Ash's ears. Ash nodded, his gray eyes perturbed.

"Thyme, take care of him," Ash ordered. Thyme looked up, her eyes wide with horror, but she nodded and darted away, Jay wanted to go after her and help her. "Jay, look after my own wounds," he added, turning to her.

Jay rolled her eyes, "Lick your wounds clean, I'll find you some cobwebs," she mewed. Ash looked at her blankly before turning and lapping at the scratches on his flanks.

Jay headed for the forest, hoping that Thyme hadn't lost her head in her panic. She, on the other paw, felt calmer than ever as she reached into a hollow log and pulled out a wad of cobwebs, enough for Ash and Thunderstorm both. Going back to the two toms who were at the edge of the woods, she found Thyme quick at work, cleaning Thunderstorm's wounds with strokes of her tongue and her paws unraveling a wad of cobwebs.

Jay sat by Ash who was watching Thunderstorm with a frown, his wounds, however, were clean. "He hasn't spoken yet, but he's not unconscious," Ash mewed as Jay dropped the cobwebs, having picked up the herbs she'd dropped when she went after the eagle, she used the tansy and rubbed it into his scratches.

"He's in shock, Thyme will have herbs for that back at the cave," Jay answered.

"What about his eyes?" Ash's voice dropped to a hoarse whisper, his eyes still on Thunderstorm's drawn face that Thyme gave a comforting lick to every now and then as she worked.

Jay didn't answer at first, "I don't know," she mewed at last. "They could heal just fine, or... he could be blind."

Ash started at that, "Blind," he echoed. Then he groaned, "This is not good."

"Are you afraid your reputation will go down for letting this happen to a hunter in your watch?" Jay asked scathingly.

"Yes!" Ash hissed, "But not just that. You know there are more fighters then hunters, to lose a hunter will devastate the others."

Jay narrowed her eyes, "Isn't that good then? It will make Python's job that much easier, won't it?"

"Yes, but you don't understand what consequences this could have," Ash mewed, dropping his voice to a whisper as Thyme gave a glance in their direction.

"What do you mean?" Jay asked, narrowing her eyes and leaning back, her work done.

Ash shook his head, "Nevermind. I just hope it won't happen. Grab your herbs and the prey, we need to get Thunderstorm back," he mewed, heading for the tom.

Jay watched him with narrowed eyes as he and Thyme supported Thunderstorm between them, practically carrying him between them. Jay quickly gathered the scattered pieces of prey and also grabbed her herbs, not forgetting to look for the hydrangea leaves and finding a bushel of them, she took what she could carry and headed after the others. As she left the bloody and feather covered hillside a raindrop landed on her nose and she looked up at the sky as more rain came down, washing the blood from her paws and the battle-lust from her heart.

The thunder had never crashed louder then it did on that long walk back to the cave.


	18. Rotten Leaves

Jay sat in the cave, her back against a wall, sheltered by the shadows on all sides. She was licking a forepaw clean, tugging the last bit of feathers from between her toes as she watched the cats in the cave in a sort of dreary amusement.

For as long as she'd lived there, she'd never seen the cats look so solemn. There was always a bit of carefree happiness in them- it felt forced, for sure- but it was their way of dealing with the lives they lived. But now, as Thunderstorm laid in the herb den with a crowd of the most skilled she-cats and Thyme bustling about him, the cats that remained outside paced or sat about in a kind of tense worry that darkened the atmosphere of the cave like a rancid piece of prey spread to all other prey.

When they had returned, drenched from the rain and with a half conscious Thunderstorm, there had been an uproar and she wasn't quite sure what had happened after that. She had been separated from the others by a wall of fur and as some cat took the prey from her she was pushed to the back of the cave. As things settled down, she had dared to enter the herb den to put her plants away and had seen the chaos of the herb den.

Herbs of every sort were strewn across the gray floor of the den and Thunderstorm lay in a plush moss nest with at least two cats, one being Thyme, comforting him. While three more argued over what herb was the best to use to treat his wounds.

The say the least, she had gotten out as fast as she could and didn't dare peek her head in again. She had retreated close to the back wall, near Sun's den where it was least populated and she was able to clean the bits of blood and feathers that still clung to her fur after the rain.

She touched her ears, feeling the scratches that Thunderstorm had given her. She supposed that he was just getting what he deserved. Although she had a seen some cats get violent with their mate a few times, few had ever even struck their mate. His audacity amazed her, almost as much as it amazed her that every cat looked like he was going to die. _Although I'd probably rather die then become blind. My mother couldn't do hardly anything when she was blind, I could never be able to live like that._

Jay's ears pricked at the tap of a pawstep and she looked up to see Ash stalking across the gray stone floor, head down and eyes subdued. Jay glanced past him and saw Night glaring furiously after the orange tom and Sun there as well, looking at Ash coldly. Jay felt a tinge of sympathy for Ash as he sat down next to her without a word. She knew all too well how it felt to have those you respect angry with you.

"Did they scold you?" Jay asked as Ash stared at his paws, he reminded her of a naughty kit who had been caught and wished to disappear.

"'Scold' would be a light way of putting it," Ash muttered and then he sighed, glancing off to the side, "But as the leader's son, better is expected of me, even if I get no reward for it," he growled.

Jay's tail twitched, she'd never thought he felt pressured by being the leader's son. Her own heart twisted, she had been the same way once. With her father the leader of ThunderClan, whenever she messed up she was reminded of it. _"We can't excuse you just because you're the leader's daughter." "You're the leader's daughter, you should be better then this." "Just because you're the leader's daughter, don't think you're anything special." "If you're the leader's daughter, then you have to work harder to be a good example." "Since you're the leader's daughter, everything has been given to you, you never had to work for a thing."_

She scowled as she heard those annoying voices in her head again. Those lips that spat contradictory nonsense, she had wished she could tear their tongues from their throats and feed them to foxes. _But that was a long time ago,_ she calmed herself. She was far beyond their reach now, she was in complete control of her own life and the lives of many others. Though, she remembered fondly one particular mouth that never uttered a word against her, gave her nothing but sweet bliss to the end. Even as he tore her apart he'd been so kind she would have willingly believed his lies if she could.

"Did you explain that it was just you against an eagle? I don't think there was anything else you could have done. I thought you were kind of brave," Jay mewed, feeling extra generous towards Ash after her sweet remembrance.

He snorted, "There's no explaining anything to him," he spat, flicking his tail at Night in odium. Jay stopped comforting him and just shifted closer, letting their fur brush against each other. Ash looked at her, "Are you cold?"

Jay shook her head and yawned, "Not really, but we are supposed to be mates and I'm tired," she murmured, laying her head on his shoulder. Ash rolled his eyes but didn't shrug her off and she fell into a drowsy state as they waited with the rest of the Ivy Cats for news about Thunderstorm.

The night dragged on and a few cats retired to their dens, Swoop had gone to sleep with Eagle, though she was worried about her older son. Her mate, Crag, paced anxiously outside the herb den all night long. As for Jay and Ash, they curled up on the floor where they were and fell asleep, or at least into a doze in Jay's case.

Just before dawn, when the light was turning gray and the cats who had sat vigil were just nodding off, the quiet tread of a paw echoed from the herb den. Every cat, no matter if they were asleep only a moment before, perked their head up and looked toward the herb den.

Jay watched as Silk, Sun's mate, appeared in the entrance of the tunnel, looking around and signaling to Sun and Crag. For once, a she-cat used authority and no cat questioned it. The three of them disappeared into the tunnel and more waiting ensued.

But cats didn't go back to sleep, not with answers so close that they were tantalizing. Ash yawned and shook his head, trying to wake up as his gray eyes stared around in a fog of confusion as he recollected yesterday's events. "I'm never sleeping like this again," he grumbled, rolling his shoulders and stretching his legs.

"No complaining," Jay mewed, though she was far less then refreshed from the rest she'd gotten on the cold stone floor.

"Do you see Night or Sun anywhere?" Ash asked as he started grooming his fur.

"Sun went into the den with Crag, but Night is still over there," Jay mewed, nodding toward the entrance. The big black tom sat like a guard in front of the entrance, the rising sun casting his shadow across the cave and the cats.

Ash glanced at his father and snorted, but didn't say anything more. "How about Pine?" Ash asked, looking around for his half-brother.

"Pine just came out of the fighters den with his mate," Jay mewed, watching the tom move about the cats, his head and tail high with confidence. His mate was the exact opposite, treading discreetly in his shadow with her head and tail lowered.

Ash snorted in disgust and tugged at a knot in his chest fur. "Full of idiots, as always," he muttered under his breath but Jay pretended not to hear him. Her belly was rumbling and she could see few pieces were left on the fresh-kill pile.

She nudged Ash, "I'm hungry," she mewed.

Ash glanced at her with a smirk, "'No complaining,'" he mewed, mimicking her voice.

Jay rolled her eyes, "I have the right to complain, you're not carrying kits. Now go get me some food," she ordered, giving him a soft hit on the rump as he slowly got to his paws and strolled over to the fresh-kill pile, picking two mice and returning to her.

Jay ate hers ravenously, not even caring about the stale scent of the day-old prey or the stiff flesh. Ash picked at his more slowly, chewing the meat distastefully so that she had to finish his. "Here comes Sun," Jay commented, picking the last bit of flavor from her whiskers.

Ash stood as the yellow tom exited the herb den. Jay glanced the leader's way and knew that he had no good news to deliver. His eyes were heavy with tiredness and anxiety and he looked around dismally, "Thunderstorm is sleeping and his life is not in danger," he mewed.

Every cat had already known that, the really question was about his eyes and every cat held their breath. Sun went on reluctantly, "Thunderstorm will remain in the herb den with his mate and the chief herbalist of the hunters, my mate, to care for him. In a few days we will know if he will be able to see again," Sun mewed, turning away as cats started murmuring anxiously in small groups together.

Sun padded toward them and Jay felt Ash tense up. The leader padded past them, going to his den, but gave Ash a severely cold look. Ash looked away but Jay stared at the leader, this cat was distant kin after all. As Sun went by he met her eyes and he paused for a moment, looking almost startled, before hurrying onto his den. Jay watched him with narrowed eyes, he was such a strange cat, she was glad no cat knew they were related.

Jay stretched and stood up, "Well, if we won't know anything for a few days, there's no use in waiting around," she mewed. She looked around the cave, some cats were returning to their dens for a quick rest before daily duties and others, who had managed some sleep that night, went slowly and quietly to their work.

"Don't you have a patrol to go on?" Jay asked as Ash stared hollowly at the opposite wall.

He shook his head, "I'm banned from taking part in duties for the next quarter moon, I'll also have to take an assessment to make sure I'm 'fit' for duties," he grumbled.

"Then come with me, let's go on a walk," Jay mewed. "Sitting around will only make you more irritable," she added as he rolled his eyes.

"Fine, fine, I don't want to sit around all day either," Ash yawned teetering to his paws and leading her through the cave. Jay was aware of the looks they got, or more specifically, what Ash got from both hunters and fighters. Barely disguised hate from the former and barely disguised disappointment from the latter.

They paused in front of Night who still sat in front of the entrance. "We're going out," Ash mewed. Night frowned at his son but shifted over and let them pass without a word.

Jay breathed a sigh of relief as they left the cave and all the stares behind. "My word!" she exclaimed dramatically, "You would think no cat ever made a mistake here!" The irony was not lost on Ash.

"It's not that no cat makes mistakes, but few have to take responsibility for them," he mewed, sounding brighter with the fresh breeze and warm sun about him.

"What do you mean?" Jay asked, sliding down the hill.

"There's almost always someone else to pass the blame onto," Ash mewed, pausing to shake the dirt from his paws when they came to the bottom of the steep slope.

"You mean their mates, right?" Jay asked. Ash nodded and started wandering into the forest.

They didn't talk much that day, but they were able to relax. Most of their time was spent in a grassy clearing in the shelter of a hawthorn bush, dozing or watching the sky drowsily. After sun-high they started to grow hungry, but since they didn't want to go back to the cave and Ash didn't know how to hunt very well, Jay had to catch them a meal. And she felt a glow of pleasure to see Ash's surprise when she returned mere minutes after leaving him with a squirrel and a shrew.

They left their peaceful sanctuary when dusk came on and the shadows began stretching away from the western mountains as the evening rainfall approached. Jay made sure she went back to collect more hydrangea leaves, annoyed to see that Amelia hadn't brought anymore since yesterday. She grabbed what she'd left behind the other day and took some marigold to hide the leaves before they returned to the cave.

The next three days followed similarly. Ash was mostly ignored or reproached and they spent most of their days together out in the valley. Ash left her a few times on business but she didn't mind being away from his gaze that alternated between stormy and dismal.

On the eve of the fourth day since the attack, Jay had come to a decision. She had gathered enough hydrangea leaves to poison the cats and the full moon was growing closer, she could feel the restlessness she had experienced before grow stronger, she needed to return to her barely-inhabited home as soon as possible. She would leave tonight after filling all the prey with hydrangea leaves.

She and Ash were stretched out on the floor of the cave as darkness infiltrated under the ivy curtain and cats started heading towards their dens. The two of them laid in a reclusive corner, in the shadow of a rock that half blocked the nursery of the fighters, which was currently empty.

"Silk looks agitated," Jay commented, the white she-cat had left the herb den and was pacing anxiously behind her mate, Sun, who was finishing his meal, not noticing his mate at all.

"Maybe there's bad news about Thunderstorm," Ash grumbled.

"I bet he still doesn't have his sight back," Jay mewed, starting to wash her face. Ash shuddered and tucked is paws tighter under his chest, eyes closed and ears flat to his skull. Jay watched him, wondering if she should tell him she was leaving. _No, he'll know soon enough and I don't want to risk him disrupting my plans._

She was drifting into a doze, the moonlight shedding its silver light across the cave floor as it mounted higher into the sky, when a screech made her jump. Her blood turned cold as she looked around the shadow-filled cave in alarm.

She turned around, jumping to her paws. A few cats came to the entrance of their dens, eyes wide in alarm. Ash rose next to her as another screech resounded. "What is that?" she hissed under her breath, agitated. It sounded almost supernatural as it echoed about the cave walls. But Ash was looking around with grim coolness as if he had been expecting this.

Another screech allowed her to pinpoint the sound coming from the herb den and she could hear wild movements and then a small cry. _Thyme!_ Jay's heart jumped and she started toward the den, anxious for the she-cat but Ash blocked her way.

He glared at her, his gray eyes like thin slits of stone, "Don't move," he growled.

Jay glared back at him, she wasn't going to stand by if her friend needed her! She didn't care if he got in trouble or is she did, something was going on in that den and Thyme needed help!

But no other cat was moving toward the herb den either, cats slipped silently out of their dens but remained against the wall. Different expressions were visible in the glowing eyes; sorrow, pity, resignation, sternness, excitement. But no cat made a move.

Another shout carried words, but it was so incoherent that Jay couldn't understand the words and a loud thump was heard, followed by sniffling which Jay recognized as Thyme. Her paws itched, her skin crawled, her limbs were practically on fire with want to rush into the herb den.

She caught her breath as a dragging sound was followed by Thyme's appearance at the herb den entrance. Her soft silver tabby fur was torn and bloody in several places, her left shoulder looked wrenched out of place, and her black eyes were empty with pain and despair.

There was a wild cry behind her and a lanky gray figure launched itself at her, catching her oddly on her wrenched shoulder and causing her to cry in pain. But she didn't fight back, Jay watched, aghast, as her friend let herself fall to the floor, a fresh wound on her flank as her blood trickled onto the floor of her own home.

Thunderstorm raised himself from his mate's body, his torn eyelids were lifted to reveal torn amber eyes that looked around without seeing anything. He didn't speak to any cat, but went back to furiously tearing and hitting Thyme who only used her paws to cover her soft ears.

Jay seethed, wondering how any cat could watch this. She would have flown at Thunderstorm had not Ash been blocking her way, his gray eyes firmly fixed on her. "Get out of my way," she snarled. Thyme cried again as Thunderstorm ran his claws down her spine and Jay tried to push past Ash.

She almost succeeded, being heavier than him for the moment but her hot blood turned to ice as she felt Ash's claws reach under her to prick her belly. "If you move again, I'll slice your belly open," Ash mewed softly, his voice harder then flint.

Jay drew her gaze from the ghastly sight to Ash, she knew he wouldn't dare. She narrowed her eyes, indecision battling within her. She wanted to help Thyme, Ash wouldn't stop her. But he was reminding her of something. She was surrounded by cats who weren't helping Thyme, would they let her help her? Was she willing to die for her friend? Willing to allow her kits to die for Thyme?

Ash's claws pricked harder and as if in response, her kits kicked in her belly. Jay looked past Ash to Thyme, the silver she-cat's gaze lifted at that moment to lock on her gaze. It was a gaze black with defeat, but even still, there was a hint of reassurance in her eyes as she looked at Jay. As if she were trying to tell her it was all alright and she didn't mind. Jay's heart twisted and cried out against this injustice, and she knew this was the hardest thing she'd ever had to do. To watch and let her only real friend slip away right in front of her without lifting a paw to help her.

Thunderstorm continued clawing and striking at Thyme deep into the night. Thyme's piteous cries became loud sobs that Jay could hardly stand. Looking around she saw a few faces more animated then the others. Sun was looking away, a look of concentration on his face as if he was trying to hide his emotions, but he didn't. His mate Silk looked like she was going to break down sobbing at any moment for her daughter, but she didn't.

Night had his head lowered, trying to hide the tears in his eyes, but he didn't. Rainfall watched her sister with a look of severe sickness on her face that alternated with dark rage so that Jay almost expected her to run to her sister's side, but she didn't. And Jay stood, every blow to Thyme's body making her mind shrink away from reality, every sob construed in Thyme's gentle voice made her more numb. She kept expecting to find tears in her eyes or for her paws to move on their own and strike down every cat that meant either her or Thyme harm, but she didn't.

Jay's thoughts drifted to her herb store in her delusion, she wondered what herbs she would have to gather tomorrow. She hadn't gathered thyme in a while, it had decayed slowly under her watch, so now it was just a bunch of rotten leaves to be swept away.


	19. Little Life

The cycle of sun and storms was broken by a day of grayness. The sky was covered in dappled soft grays that hung around the mountain tops and the valley looked greener than ever at the height of green-leaf. But Jay knew this strength would soon decay under the pressing coldness of the coming season and the warmth would just be a taunting bliss to remember in the cold. At once both a hope and a memory.

After Thyme's death two days prior, Jay had been unable to bring herself to leave the Ivy Cats, or even her nest. She could still close her eyes in the darkness and remember that long night.

Thunderstorm had left his mate close to dawn and his father, Crag, had walked him around soothingly and taken him back to his nest where he quickly fell asleep, Thyme's blood still on his paws. Cats started slipping into their dens quietly, as if they hadn't just spent the better part of the night watching one of their cave-mates killing another cave-mate.

Sun and Silk had padded up to their daughter and silently said goodbye, returning to their den before dawn. Night and Tinge passed by with only a pitying glance in Thyme's direction. Rainfall had spent the longest amount of time grieving, standing over her sister with her nose in Thyme's bloody fur, her shoulders shaking with sobs until Olive led her away with a surprising amount of gentleness compared the the ferocity Thunderstorm had shown for his mate.

But Jay could still see the tears in Rainfall's hot gaze and for the first time had felt something other then annoyance toward the she-cat. When the cave had emptied out leaving only Jay, Ash, and Thyme in it, Jay dared step forward.

Thyme's body lay on its side in a pool of her own blood. Her silver tabby fur, usually so sleek and well-kept, was ragged and rumpled into bloody clumps. Her head lay against the ground, her eyes were closed and her breath was still.

She was gone, she really was.

Jay's heart twisted tighter, but the numbness of her mind that had encircled her and confused her emotions during Thyme's ordeal was crumbling. She didn't sob, for she didn't want Ash to see that, but as she bent her muzzle to Thyme's face, silent tears fell upon the bloody fur.

Suddenly there was so much she wanted to tell Thyme, so much she wanted to share. She had held back for fear of revealing herself to some cat, but now as Thyme laid lifeless before her, she wanted to share a bit of her life with Thyme. And she wanted Thyme to share hers, how had she grown up? What did she love? If she could do anything, what would it be? What was her biggest dream?

But now no questions could be answered or secrets shared and Jay grieved for the lost friendship. No dreams could be fulfilled and nothing would bring her back. Hot pain seared her chest as she pulled Thyme out of the bloody puddle and laid down by Thyme in exhaustion, licking the she-cat's bloody fur so that it looked clean and fresh and she arranged her legs to be folded by her belly so that it would appear she were only resting.

Jay closed her eyes and laid her head on Thyme's shoulder to whisper in her ear, "I hope you find StarClan, or a place like it, and can be happy and at peace."

At dawn Ash approached her again and told her that she should leave before any cat saw her grieving. But Jay shook her head stubbornly, "I'm going to give Thyme a proper burial," she growled and before Ash could say anything she had rushed to the herb den, giving a horrible glare at the sleeping Thunderstorm, grabbed a sprig of lavender from her herbs and came out again. She rubbed the plant all over Thyme to hide the scent of death and give a tragically lovely smell to her.

Ash told her that Thyme's body would probably be dropped off somewhere and she refused to allow that to happen, hardening her determination as she took Thyme upon her shoulders at the first glimpse of dawn. They left the cave, padding down the slope and she ignored Ash's offers of help, she would do this tiny favor for her friend all on her own.

She knew exactly where she wanted to bury Thyme. Into the woods she walked, the weight on her back nothing compared to the weight in her chest. Before long she turned off the trail and just out of sight of it came to a spot where the ground sunk into a hollow depreciation, the ground soft and moist and covered in green ferns.

But in the center was a large red fern bush that branched out like a willow, large enough for several cats to gather beneath its red fronds. The dirt was dark and soft and bunches of thyme grew beneath it. She slid Thyme gently to the ground and then enrolled Ash's help to dig the hole, making sure it was deep enough that no scavenger would ever find it.

When it was done she took Thyme and gently slid her into the hole, looking at her for a long moment. "May StarClan light your path," she whispered, recalling the words from her kithood. "May you find good hunting, swift running, and shelter when you sleep."

Then Jay and Ash filled the hole and stepped back from under the bush, the fresh mound of earth visible through the branches. "I didn't think a burial could be so beautiful," Ash mewed quietly, licking the mud from his paws.

Jay didn't answer at first, still staring at the mound of earth, then she released a shuddering sigh, "That's how we always did it where I am from." They returned to the cave and Jay slept the rest of the day. But that was all two days past.

Now she lay in her nest, staring up at the blank slab of slate that served as the roof of the den. One might think she was still grieving the loss of her friend, unable to full recover from the shock. But Jay was no stranger to grief, although it was still a barb of pain to think of the untimely death, she knew it would fade to a prick and then eventually become only another sad memory. It would all become faded and fuzzy with time, losing its strength as time put space between her and the memory, that's what all her memories did.

But right now, she was facing a different sort of problem and indecision battled within her on the two courses of action to take. Did she leave now? Or wait? Usually she would have left, but she was under unusual, but not unexpected, circumstances. Her kits were coming. She could feel them moving as she lay still and she was painfully aware of each precious moment she lost in indecision.

She had to wait till night to leave, or else she wouldn't be able to poison the cats and all this would be for naught. But she could possibly be having her kits this night, of course she didn't know how close or how fast it would happen since this was her first litter. If she were lucky, they might hold off till morning and she could possibly escape, but then she'd have to hope she could make it far enough away before having her kits and that the chilly breeze didn't steal the life from the newborns. Plus, should there be any blood or should she cry out in pain, she'd be defenseless against any predator- cat or not- that may find her.

But if she stayed to have her kits then she wouldn't be able to leave for at least a few more days and then her kits would be at risk. She didn't want her kits to have anything to these with these cats and the place you are born can be a powerful place. Then there would also be the problem of carrying them out, at most she could probably carry two newborns at once, if there were more she would need either the help of Ash or Amelia.

For Ash, she was sure she could count his help, at a price of course. He rarely gave her anything for free. Amelia probably would help her for free, but she didn't know where the she-cat was, having told her they would meet up again after she left the cave.

Jay sighed and rolled on her side, grunting as the pain in her back increased, the first spasm passing through her body and leaving her eyes scrunched in pain. A third option would be to leave at this very moment, she could go on a walk with Ash and leave from there, telling him where the poisonous plants were and what to do with them. But that didn't sit well with Jay, putting anything into Ash's trust sounded like a bad decision.

She closed her eyes, she'd wait for night until she made her decision on what to do. She laid stretched out in her nest, her back aching as she tried to get some rest throughout the day. She passed the time in a kind of dreamy daze, she was awake, but not fully conscious- only the pain made its way in and painted the back of her eyelids with tints of yellow and red that swirled with each convulsion.

At dusk she felt like she could hardly move and when Ash came in to see if she wanted to eat she could hardly keep her composure. "The kits are coming," she growled, her gaze glaring with paint. She wouldn't be leaving tonight.

Ash jumped up at that as if is was the most frightening thing she could have said to him and he raced out of the den. Jay flattened her ears, knowing what was going to happen next. In came Tinge and Swoop and they helped her get to her paws but she could hardly walk, her limbs trembling with exhaustion and pain. So the two she-cats supported her and she somehow made it out of the den and across the cave.

She was so dazed that she didn't see anything but the ground in front of her paws and the old, half-broken nest in the fighters kit den. Jay groaned from the pain, feeling an intense need to escape from it as she flung her forepaws around, scrabbling and thrashing as much as she could, her eyes squeezed tight and her mouth open in a soundless scream of pain and frustration.

"Calm down," Tinge's icy voice cut through the heat of pain and Jay opened her eyes, looking up from the shredded moss into Tinge's old yellow eyes and she lay still, panting. But a fresh wave of pain washed away her moment of calm and she couldn't help but tilt her head back and let out a blood-curdling screech.

When the convulsion passed and her screech faded she was aware of Tinge and Swoop shushing her. "What?!" She snarled, the pain and exhaustion was making it harder to play nice and quiet.

Swoop looked taken aback from her tone and Tinge stared at her, "You have to be quiet!" she hissed firmly. "You'll disturb the tom cats!" Tinge added.

Jay looked at Tinge, not with a glare, but with a belittling look that made the old she-cat take a step back, she could feel a convulsion coming on and she spat out every word, "They. Can. Eat. Fox-dung."

Tinge looked distressed and Swoop was edging toward the entrance, but she stopped and jumped as Ash appeared. Jay's flank rippled as another powerful convulsion seized her but she remained silent this time as Ash padded toward her. He stood over her, "You have to be quiet," he ordered coolly.

Jay's answer was a flash of movement. From her crouched position she raked her claws across his nose before he even had time to react. He stared at her, her claws unsheathed as three welts swelled with blood on his muzzle.

"Leave me be," she spat, feeling another convulsion take hold of her. Why was she so angry? She wasn't sure, but she was positively broiling with rage and ready to lash out at anyone who came near her.

Ash took a step back as she flopped back on her side, her back legs churning in pain. He calmly lifted a paw to his muzzle and swiped it over the scratches staring at the blood smeared on his paws. He looked at her then and she saw his gray eyes darken to black.

Tinge and Swoop were staring at her in horror and they stiffened as Ash turned to them, "Help her with the kits," he mewed calmly, quickly washing the blood from his muzzle and leaving the den.

Jay watched him go, what right had he to make any decision for her? These weren't his kits and he wasn't her mate! Suddenly she remembered Midnight, she wasn't oblivious, she was sure Midnight had something to do with Ash, but she still couldn't imagine them being mates. Just another mystery she'd solve, but not today and especially not now.

"You're almost there," Tinge mewed in a shaky voice after some time had passed with Jay's mood growing blacker with every convulsion. Jay flattened her ears, it felt like Tinge had said that for hours before finally, with a convulsion more powerful and painful then the others, the first kit was born. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Swoop take it out of the membrane and she saw dark gray fur.

But her curious gaze was interrupted by another convulsion which was immediately followed by another. And then, nothing, it was all over. She fell back on the now shredded scraps of moss and just purred with relief that the pain was gone, lifting from her like mist on a sunny day.

Once she had regained her breath she came to her senses and opened her eyes, rolling on her belly and lifting her head as her muscles trembled from the effort. She looked down as Tinge and Swoop placed the last kit at her belly where it immediately latched on.

Jay could feel her eyes open wider as she watched their suckling movements with bated breath. It was so surreal, to no longer feel them in her belly, but with their tiny paws and wet noses pressed against her belly where she could see them, smell them, and feel them.

She curled around them, instinctively warming them as she licked their slicked fur the wrong way to fluff it up. She had eyes only for them and didn't hear what Tinge and Swoop said or when they left the den. She didn't notice Ash peeking into the den or even when Bluebell- the mate of a fighter trainee- gave her a new, soft nest. Although she learned later and did thank her. But she didn't even remember when she moved into the nest, just that she did before she fell asleep.

But that wasn't for a long time, as the shadows of night grew deeper she stayed awake, watching her kits even as the exhaustion of the day pulled down at her eyelids. She had three, lovely, perfect kits and she already loved them with such passion she thought she must either laugh or faint. In a way she did both, letting out giggles as she curled tighter around her kits, her tail wrapped over them as she watched their sleeping breaths and peaceful expressions with amazement.

These were her kits! Hers and Coalspark's! In the darkness Jay imagined she could see his sleek pelt and large, sharply pointed ears in their kits. She could close her eyes and imagine three mini versions of Coalspark, their eyes so sweet and innocent as they looked up at her.

Jay would have enough love for them to cover for Coalspark. And her love was for them only. Her only regret was perhaps that Coalspark couldn't see the magnificent lives he had chosen to miss out on. _But that was his choice_ , she mused, rubbing her nose over her kits- two toms and a she-kit- so perfect that she didn't even mind that she was still in the cave instead of the nice den she had labored so hard to make.

She laid her head down on her paws, her eyes on her kits until reality faded into dreams. And for the first time in an incredibly long time, she slept in the night, and not a monster laid hold of her dreams so that she felt peace.

* * *

The next day was like a dream and Jay didn't remember much else other than her kits. Cats came to see the kits, but she didn't notice them. She ate, but she didn't know what it was. She spoke, but she didn't even hear her own words. Her eyes and attention completely focused on her kits.

Two toms and a she-kit they were, a number that seemed to please the Ivy Cats. The largest kit, the first one she'd birthed, was a dark gray tom-practically black- with slick silver tabby stripes. He was the loudest and kneaded her belly with the most agitation.

The other two kits were about the same size and had come right after the other. They looked identical, their gray-blue fur molding together so that it looked like just one bunch. But the she-kit was always the first one to nurse and the gray tom slept the most, his tiny paws over his nose and his tiny tail flat against his side.

Jay loved them and rejoiced in their life. These perfect little lives were hers to protect for moons and she could look forward to watching them grow up into strong cats. Being with them as they make their first catches, race around this beautiful valley with not a care in the world, and sleep from dusk till dawn under a diamond sky.

Jay closed her eyes and pictured this, and everything suddenly seemed so far away and so small. What did she care what Ash did? So long as it didn't affect her, she didn't care. What did she care about what Python did? If he didn't interfere with her, she wouldn't with him. What did Amelia mattered? The black she-cat could die for all she cared. Jay resolved to live her life only for her kits; giving them a safe, happy home was all that mattered to her.

That evening Ash came to visit her for the first time. She has just finished feeding the kits and she was watching them, tired but happy, her tail flicking as they laid curled in her belly. At first she didn't notice him standing at the entrance, but even though she'd hardly noticed any other cat that day, she instantly recognized Ash's tread on the floor.

She looked up, finally breaking her transfixed gaze. She watched him coolly, eying the scratches on his nose without a prick of guilt. Ash stooped as he stood over her, looking down at her three kits, "They look strong and healthy, for being early," he muttered.

Jay's ears flicked, "They may not be early, I could have just estimated wrong," she mewed, curling around the tiny bundles tighter.

"What are their names?" Ash asked, sitting down.

Jay snorted, "Why do you want to know?"

"Here, the father names the kits. The others are asking me what I named them. Either tell me what their names are or I'll name them for the other cats," Ash mewed.

Jay felt a flash of indignation, but only gave a huff, "I'll be leaving soon anyways."

"Well, for now to avoid trouble it would be helpful to have their names," Ash mewed, curling his tail over his paws patiently.

Jay sighed, it wasn't like she hadn't thought up names for her kits. In fact, she'd been thinking up names since she had discovered she was expecting kits. "The largest," she mewed, touching the black and silver tom, "Is Flint, he always wanted to name his son Flint," she murmured half to herself, Ash glanced at her quickly but then looked back at the kit.

"It is a good, strong name. What about the others?" he asked, nodding at the two solid gray kits.

"His name is Hail, and her name is Ice," Jay mewed, but the names that had sounded so brilliant in her mind felt dry on her tongue. She couldn't help but think what wonderful warrior names they were. But they'd never have that sort of nobility, they'd just be rogues. _But they'll be the most respected rogues there ever were,_ Jay thought firmly.

"I'll tell the others," Ash mewed, getting up and padding toward the entrance again, but he paused and glanced back at the kits. For a moment wistfulness flickered in his gaze.

Jay caught the look and she suddenly had a though. "Ash, did you ever have kits?" she asked.

Ash glanced at her sharply and shook his head, "Of course not." He turned abruptly hurried out of the entrance, his tail-tip flicking in agitation.

Jay watched him go, eyes narrowed as she thought of Midnight. _He's so sure about that..._

* * *

Late that night Jay awoke, the moonlight shone through a crack in the wall and she scrunched her eyes up against the silver beam. A thin streak of black night sky glimmered through the crack and Jay looked at her kits, their fur sparkling in the moon beam, their sides rising and falling with tiny breaths.

Jay purred but was careful not to wake them. She carefully slipped away from them, tucking the moss tighter around them to keep them from getting cold in her absence. Once out of the den, the fuzzy warmth she felt was put aside and she took up her usual cool concentration as she looked around the dark cave.

Not a figure stirred and no eyes reflected light so Jay slipped silently through the shadows toward the herb den. She quickened her pace, worried that if her kits woke and started mewing they may alert some cat. Jay nearly tripped over herself as she stopped suddenly, heavy breathing warning her that there was some cat in the herb den.

Cautiously she stuck her neck out of the tunnel and breathed a sigh of relief as she saw it was only Silk sleeping with Thunderstorm. She gave the tom a contemptuous look and padded silently past him, groping in the dark for the herb niche where she had kept the hydrangea leaves and pulled the entire stock out. It was time she got out of here.

Taking the plants in her mouth, she crept out of the tunnel and back into the cave. Looking around carefully, she proceeded more slowly, with her sense of smell blocked by the hydrangea leaves she couldn't tell if there was any cat in the dark. But no cat stopped her as she reached the fresh-kill pile.

Now she worked quickly, stuffing the pieces of prey with leaves by shoving it down their lifeless throats. But she made sure that the leaves were torn up enough that it wouldn't be so easily noticed and that the prey wasn't so mangled that any cat would think it had been messed with.

Jay sat back when she was done, her obligations were finished and now all she had to do was get out of there. She gathered up the scraps of leaves and noticed that one had a jagged edge as if it had been torn deliberately, Amelia is so careless.

She brought them to the entrance and tossed them into the waterfall, washing the scent of leaves off in the misty spray of the water. Jay purred as she looked out at the valley, she couldn't wait to finally leave this cave. The last moon had been eventful and she didn't regret meeting Thyme, but she was more than ready to leave and take her kits to their real home.

Returning to the kit den, she found her kits still asleep and she curled around them tightly. This was the last obstacle, carrying them all home. She had figured before she could carry only two at once, but when she had seen how tiny they were- barely bigger then her paw- she was sure if she was careful she could carry all three at one.

 _I just hope they'll keep quiet._ She grabbed them by their scruffs, having a bit of trouble trying to grab them all at once, but finally succeeded and lifted them off the ground, gripped firmly in her mouth. They only mewled a little as she drew them from the soft spot they'd spent the first day of their lives but they fell quickly asleep as she held them to her warm chest.

Jay stepped toward the entrance, her heartbeat thudding with anticipation. A shadow stepped in front of her and she halted, frozen with panic for a moment until she recognized Ash. "Outta my way," she growled, his dark outline filling the entrance.

"I'm afraid I can't do that," Ash purred and Jay felt her belly grow cold, his tone was so pleasant she knew he wasn't happy over something good.

But she squared her shoulders and glared at him, "If you don't move, I'll kill you," she threatened her tone hard and cold, she wouldn't stand for his ridiculous games right now.

"Oh! Did you hear her threaten me?! Do you know why I can't live like this anymore?" Ash mewed pitifully, spinning around to face the cave and Jay stiffened, was there another cat out there? But she hadn't heard any cat come out!

Ash stepped out of her way and Jay could see Night, Sun, and Pine standing in the cave, facing the kit den. Ash was talking to them, "I put up with it a long time, thinking she just needed time to adjust since it only started when she came here. But then she started getting violent, do you see these scratches on my nose? Those are from her! And so are these!" Ash went to all three cats to show them evidence of her 'violence.'

"I would have taught her to respect me, but I couldn't do it when she was so heavy with my kits, I didn't want to risk them," Ash mewed sorrowfully. "And now, she has tried to do something so evil I simply could not stay silent any longer."

Jay seethed, no, that word wasn't strong enough. She was nearly exploding with fury! It bubbled in her belly, making her sick, and burned at her claws, making them itch. She glared at him with such a look of disgust that she didn't know how he could continue his act with not the least bit of shame in his eyes.

"Jay, come out," Night mewed gravely after examining his sons 'wounds.' Though Jay was sure she'd only scratched him the once, she could see that his fur was torn and scratched up in a few more places. _Did he do that himself to blame me?!_

Jay stepped out of the den, but not as the quiet, submissive cat she had been pretending to be. If they were already convinced, as from their looks she supposed them to be, there was no use in pretending anymore. "Jay, do you deny his accusations?" Night asked gravely.

"With contempt," Jay growled, carefully setting her kits on her paws. "And if he dares to say it again I have no scruples about tearing his tongue out," she snarled, flattening her ears to her head.

"See how she is?" Ash mewed, pointing his tail at her, "It is easy to believe how she could fly at me in her temper. She wasn't like that when we first met, no, she was sweet and gentle and soft," he mewed looking at her with a sorrowful wistfulness.

Jay narrowed her eyes and looked away, examining the gazes of the other three cats as best she could in the dim light. Pine was glaring at her, looking like he was ready to leap at her. Night looked grave, his old, solemn face drawn with seriousness. Sun's face was hidden in shadow and Ash, whose faze was turned from the others, gave her a playful smirk as if he was winning a silly game.

But this was no longer a game to Jay. She was sure she could make a break for it and outpace these cats, but could she do that with her kits? Simply picking them up was a hassle, and then she'd have to go slow enough not to injure them or lose her grip on them.

"I could have forgiven her," Ash went on in his sorrowful voice, "But then she devised a cruel plan. She tried to give me poison and then leave with my kits in the night," Ash mewed, and he showed the other cats what he held in his paw- a few torn pieces of hydrangea leaves.

Jay stared at him with such undisguised disgust now. Not only was he betraying her, but he was betraying Python. _How did he even know about the hydrangea? He doesn't know herbs, and there was no way for him to know which niche I kept the herb in, since I didn't even keep it in my own!_

Ash walked up to her as the others sniffed at the plant. She stood stock still as he leaned and whispered in her ear. "It was nice having you around. But I hope you can see it now, you're way out of your league. This was my game from the beginning and the only reason you've lasted this long is because of me. Cut your losses and leave, but don't worry, I'll take good care of your kits."

Jay had listened coldly until that last sentence, now, the rage in her broke and in not more then two seconds she had pinned him to the ground, her claws at his throat and her gaze growing hazy as she lifted a paw to tear at his throat.

A cat bowled into her before she could strike and she skidded across the cave floor on her back with Pine pinning her down. She used her back legs to give a powerful kick and send him flying off her to the other side of the cave, she flipped back onto her paws and hissed.

Night, Sun, and Ash stood between her and her kits. She scowled at them, her back arched and hackles raised, "Give me my kits and I'll leave," she snarled.

Sun looked at her, his eyes looked almost mesmerized as he stared at her and even Night seemed to lack the will to oppose her, but Pine had gotten to his paws and joined the line. "Ash's kits stay here, however, he has asked that your life be spared despite your deplorable actions and for secrecy instead of a public sentencing. You, Jay, are from here on out exiled from our territory and if you are found we will give cats orders to kill you on sight."

But Jay hardly heard him, her ears stuck on what he said, what they all had been saying. "Ash's kits?!" she hissed, "He can keep his own kits, but he has no claim to mine! He is not their father. And he has been plotting against you the whole time! He is working to bring you down and yet you protect him and do his bidding without even realizing it," she curled her lip. "You are all too stupid to listen to me though, I hope his plans kill you all," she mewed cruelly, spitting.

Jay threw herself forward, trying to reach her kits one last time. She managed to knock Pine and Sun out of the way and slip past Ash but Night caught her by her shoulders as she reached her mewling kits He hooked his paws into her shoulder and spun her around, the old cat flinging her toward the entrance as if she didn't weigh more then a feather.

Jay landed on her side and rolled to her paws, turning to stare at the old tom furiously, savagely satisfied that she hadn't given him the news he had longed to hear for so long. He could die cold and lonely for all she cared. In fact, they all could. Except Ash, no, she focused on the orange tom now, memorizing his haughty expression so that she would never forget what he had done. She hoped that he would die slowly and painfully at her paws and she vowed to make that happen.

Her heart was shattering but she knew she stood no chance of getting her kits out this night and that if she stayed too long the other cats would be woken and would see her fighting the toms and not think twice of killing her. For now the best option was to retreat.

She gave them all a look so hot with anger that they couldn't help but hold her gaze. Then she turned and sprang out of the cave, hitting the slipping hill and running at breakneck speed down it, not knowing how she kept her paws under her at all times.

The quiet night was broken by her stampeding pawsteps as she didn't even try to conceal her presence. She didn't think about much as she raced through the somber woods, she didn't even think of what could have happened or getting revenge on Ash- at least not for now.

Her heart heaved for the little lives she know were back in the cave, scared and alone they must be. Not a single one of those cats close enough to really be called kin. Her body felt weak and tremulous but she sprinted on, she wouldn't rest until the had rescued her kits. She would see them soon, but it would never be soon enough.


	20. Moonrise

After her departure from the Ivy Cat, Jay had been in such a state of mind that all she could do was run and feel each step chipping away at her soul. But those splintering pieces were easily caught in the stormy anger that had settled over her and showed no intention of leaving.

When she was finally forced to stop from lack of breath she stood, panting, on her wobbly legs and looked around. As she had run, time had passed, and from the looks of it, it was nearly dawn. A faint robin-egg blue glowing from behind the eastern mountain range. The mountains themselves were starkly outlined in black against the brightening sky.

The grass was damp with the falling dew and the birds were still asleep, but they'd be up as the grayness lifted in the valley and the sky brightened. Jay looked up and saw a few trailing bats heading for their homes among the woods, their tiny silhouettes fluttering not-so-gracefully above her head.

But she was nearly at the end of the woods and that meant she was nearly at the edge of the Ivy Cats territory. She hurried forward, both eager and reluctant. She stepped out from under the woods and looked up at the gray hillside. Climbing it, she stood at its summit- a height about paramount with the lower tree branches- and looked around to see where she was.

It seemed she was a bit on the western side of the valley, but still rather close to the center. This was close to where her own den was. She looked longingly to the south-east, knowing exactly where it lay, but she resigned herself to her task.

She had more important things to do right now then go home, especially since she would be going home alone. A lump formed in her throat and she touched her belly, for so long- it felt like all her lifetime- her kits had been there. But now they were out in the world without her by their side. They were perfectly helpless all alone!

Squaring her shoulders, she braced herself to run off again but her legs refused to spring forward and she only managed to stumble a few steps before she forced herself to sit down. She was weak from hunger, thirst, and shock. She wasn't stupid enough to think she could help anyone in this state. As much as she was loathed to spend time on herself with her kits in jeopardy, she reasoned with herself that it was a necessity.

By the time the sun was cresting the mountain peaks Jay had eaten two mice, drunk her fill at a rain puddle, and eaten a dose of goatweed and thyme to help calm herself and give extra strength. She'd also groomed her fur, hoping the habitual action would help her think better. It seemed to work, her thoughts arranging themselves once more into a logical order.

The smartest thing to do would be to go see Python, for she had poisoned the cats and assuming no cat found the leaves, they'd be feeling ill around sun-high and it would last as long as it was in their system, so about till after dusk. If Python struck before then, they could defeat the Ivy Cats and Jay would be able to take her kits home that evening.

Of course she had other plans in her mind, for one couldn't count on just one thing with so much at risk. But for now, that would be how she first moved. Should everything go as planned, she'd contact Amelia and begin dealing with Ash after he had her kits back.

Heading off at a loping gate that was both sustainable and ground covering, she crossed hill after hill until she came to the base of the mountain where Python lived. She started up the rocky trail with gusto but slowed as tiredness dragged at her paws. The heat was smoldering as the sun glared in her eyes and the smell of hot rock just added to the discomfort of walking upon the burning stone.

It was nearly sun-high when she came to the tunnel that led through the mountain to where Python lived. Jay looked up at the tasteless blue sky with the single sun staring back down at her. No eagles or hawks were out right now and there wasn't a breeze to chase the warm taste of rock from her mouth.

Ducking into the tunnel, she crawled through the tight space impatiently, her harsh breathing echoing back at her. The tunnel widened at a few places and grew taller so that she could stand up and perhaps even two cats could have stood side by side in it.

But it narrowed again as a light glowed distantly in front of her and strange voices echoed back through the tunnel toward her. She paused in the gritty tunnel to compose herself, settling her mind in a single determination and filling her worried, high-strung body with cold concentration. Narrowing her eyes, she crawled the last few fox-lengths and stepped out of the black tunnel.

Blinding sunlight greeted her and the clear ring of voices echoed around her confusingly. Recovering her vision, she straightened up and looked around. The ground was sandy-white and reflected the sun's glare back up at her. Green foliage crowded around the winding path that led down to a clearing of sand. There, colorful pelts moved around and the voices resounded from them.

Jay quickly recognized Python's cats and started down the tail to what was evidently their camp. Some cat must have spotted her for by the time she reached the clearing the cats were lined up in a solid- yet not hostile- force. Jay looked down the line for either Python or Glade. She spotted Spark, Cherry, and Screech staring at her unblinkingly, but not the brown tabby leader or the gray deputy.

"Jay," a cat growled, the gray she-cat blinked as Silver stepped out of the line, her eyes gleaming with fresh hostility.

"Where is Python?" Jay asked impatiently, not even interested in teasing the silly she-cat.

Silver narrowed her eyes and shut her mouth. Screech stepped forward, "He's at a training session, if you'll come with me I'll take you to him," the gray and white she-cat mewed shortly and with a note of tiredness.

Jay nodded and followed the she-cat away from the camp, feeling the eyes of every-cat in the line watching her until she was hidden from view. Screech was silent as she led her along another sandy trail that ran along a little ditch of clear water.

"You seem to be doing well," Screech commented as Jay was watching the stream. Jay didn't answer that, sheathing and unsheathing her claws in frustration. "But you seem to have kitted, where are they?" Screech continued and Jay felt her stomach turn.

"Doesn't matter," she muttered impatiently, "Just get me to Python."

Screech turned her head to look in front of her again, "I don't suppose you've seen my sister this past moon?"

"No, not a sign," Jay mewed. "Granted I spent most of my time in that cave," she added in a growl.

"Was it hard to spy on them?" Screech asked, cocking an ear back at her as Jay stared at the back of her head.

"It wasn't too difficult, they don't expect she-cats to be cunning. It was easy enough to spy, it was just exhausting," Jay mewed. And Ash certainly didn't make things any easier, she could have hissed just at the thought of him but she held it in.

Screech stopped and turned toward her, stepping aside and waving her tail onward. "He's just ahead," she mewed.

Jay nodded and led the rest of way as she turned around a holly bush and stepped into a grassy clearing. Python stood on a moss-covered boulder at the end of the clearing, demonstrating claw movements to a group of six cats that sat below him.

However, as Jay stepped toward him he caught side of her and Screech and gave quick orders to the cats, excusing himself and heading over to her as the cats broke into pairs to practice one move or another.

"Jay!" Python purred, a startlingly different tone then the one he had used with her last time. "I see you have completed your mission, come, let's talk," he mewed, signaling with her tail for her to follow her.

Jay sighed and followed him. Screech turned to go back to camp but Python called to her, "You can come with us as well, Screech, I'm sure Jay doesn't mind."

The gray and white she-cat dipped her head and followed them as Python led her on a grassy path that led to the outer edge of the mountain side. She could look out across the gray mountain peaks and see countless stone valleys with bits of green and blue.

"This is the eastern mountain range," Python mewed, waving his tail out over the edge, "I used to live in one of those valleys before I found this place," he mewed, nodding at the forested mountain side. "Now, let us talk," he mewed, climbing onto a slab of gray stone and laying down on his belly.

Jay was reluctant to climb on the rock, but the warmth against her belly was nice as she laid upon it and Screech sat by her, her wide eyes closed with contentment. "Now, Jay, tell me all that you have learned," Python mewed eagerly.

Jay began telling him what intelligence she had gathered from the Ivy Cats. "They divide cats between who fights and who hunts, so at best, only a third of the cats actually know how to fight. In all, they do have more cats then you, but I think that the lack of skilled fighters they have evens out the number of fighters significantly," Jay explained.

"What about their location? What is the terrain like around their home?" Python asked, eyes narrowed in thought.

"The ground is flat but covered with a forest, as I'm sure you're aware. However, there are lots of open places between the trees and undergrowth," Jay explained.

"Is it feasible to attack their cave?" Python demanded.

Jay thought for a moment and shook her head, "No, the slope is too steep. The only way we could take their cave would be to sneak in at night before any cat realizes we are there- which is possible since they don't usually have a guard. But the hunters would probably detect us before we could get more then a few cats in. And if we try to take it by force, the entrance is so narrow that even if we could beat them uphill we'd only be able to get in one by one. And one by one we'd be destroyed," Jay explained.

Python nodded, "So our best course of action is to draw them out," he muttered. "Well, who are prime targets to hit?" he asked.

"I would say the leaders; Night is old but he is still very powerful," she mewed, rolling her shoulders. "Then the other leader, Sun, isn't a fighter, but he is experienced and won't go down easily," she mewed. "Another one, Pine, is going to succeed Night. I haven't seen him fight, but he's supposed to be the best."

Python nodded as she gave physical descriptions of the three. "Anything else?" he asked.

Jay shrugged, she had already told them what sort of tactics they specialized in so that they could use it against them, so there wasn't much left. "No, but we should hurry. The poison will start wearing off after dusk," she mewed. It was sun-high and it would take the better part of the afternoon to reach the cave.

Python nodded slowly, "All my cats are ready at a moments notice. We will leave immediately, thank you, Jay," he mewed, standing up and turning away.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Jay snapped, jumping to her paws and bristling, "I'm coming with you."

Screech turned and blinked at her, surprised. "I thought you wouldn't want to put yourself in harm's way," Python mewed smoothly. "And I thought your kits would be missing you," he added, nodding at her slender belly.

Jay barely kept herself from snapping at him but calmed herself, "My kits are in good paws, I want to see this thing through. I would be honored if you allowed me to accompany you," she mewed, bowing her head respectfully.

Python observed her for a moment and then purred, "You are welcome to come, we will be lucky to have some cat who knows the territory to lead us there."

* * *

The rest of the day passed quickly. Python waited only long enough for the hunting patrol that was out to return and have a quick conference with Glade and a couple other senior members. Then every cat was led through the tunnel and down into the valley.

When they reached the edge of Ivy Cat territory, Python turned toward them. "We are going to battle with the enemy. Upon entering enemy territory take care to be silent. We will use Plan: Moonrise, you all know your positions. Carry out your duty with courage and honor," Python commanded.

Jay looked around at the sea of faces. Even those that looked timid and frightened had eyes that gleamed with strength as they stared at their leader in certainty. They all believed they would win, and in Jay's experience, that was half the battle. She looked at Python with a shred of respect, even after all he had put her through, she recognized he was a beloved cat with a strong sense of duty and leadership. And yet, sometimes those were the most dangerous cats.

The cats around her began separating, forming four patrols set in a diamond pattern. Glade led the patrol in the front which was composed entirely of she-cats. "Jay, you guide Glade to the cave, then fall back and join Poppy's rear patrol when we are within sight of it," Python ordered, his patrol was the one on the left.

Jay nodded and bounced up to the side of the gray she-cat who welcomed her with a crisp nod as she started leading the patrols forward. The patrols, she noticed, were spread far enough apart so that they were out of sight of each other but it would be easy to hear each other, should a cat shout. _So if one patrol gets found, they can warn the other patrols... smart._ Python wasn't an amateur at this, in fact, it reminded Jay of her mentor who was a well known tactician among the Clans.

But it was unneeded for Jay knew the territory well and led them along the less common routes where there was little hunting, no herbs, and little visibility as they traversed through the thicker parts of the woods. Once Jay caught the whiff of a single cat, but she couldn't identify it. Personally, she imagined most cats were sick inside the cave, only just beginning to recover if the she-cats had treated the poison properly- which they may not have if they too had been poisoned.

As they walked Jay whispered with Glade. "What is 'Plan: Moonrise'?"

"It is a plan by which the front patrol draws out the enemy and then the right and left wings sweep in to trap the enemy forces while the rear patrol comes in last to crush the remaining enemy or to counter any reinforcements," Glade explained in a voice little above a murmur.

"But why call it Moonrise?" Jay asked, looking around over the ops of fern bushes.

"It works better in dim light, since the other patrols are able to hide better. But with all this foliage I don't think it'll be a problem," Glade mewed, looking around at the brambles, ferns, briars, and bracken that clustered around the trunks of trees and spread out from there.

Jay fell silent, beginning to focus herself on the task in front of her. She would be part of the rear patrol, so she'd fight last. She wondered how many cats would actually come out to fight them? Python was wise to use she-cats to draw them out, they would be seen as easy targets and no tom would be willing to let a she-cat who blatantly insulted him go unscathed, they'd come out to teach them a lesson- maybe even some hunters would join in on the fun- and then they'd be crushed.

But Jay didn't care much about that, all she could think of was getting back to her kits. Not even a whole day ago she'd been contentedly curled up with them, happier then she'd ever been in her life. Then Ash ruined it all, her face changed into a scowl, how she hated him. But she felt a bit of uneasiness when she thought of him. Surely he had known that she wouldn't let him get away with it? And since all the secrets he had of her were exposed, she had no reason to keep quiet. He'd be an enemy of Python and there would be nowhere left for him in this valley. _Plus he isn't stupid, he knows that the Ivy Cats must lose... but how could he cause me so much trouble and be so stupid?_

Her fear was that she was missing something large and obvious, a blank in her investigation- in her knowledge. Her thoughts flitted around, but she couldn't think of anything. The Ivy Cats weren't incredibly powerful, only ruthless. Python's cats at least seemed skilled and disciplined. The young rogues controlling the pass weren't much of a threat and whatever other cats were in the valley weren't terribly powerful. But surely she was overlooking something?

"Here we are," Jay murmured, the woods ended just ahead and up rose the side of the mountain. Glade lifted her head and let out a warbled cry that may have belonged to a bird. Then the gray she-cat turned to her, "The others are getting into their positions, you should go join Poppy's patrol," the gray she-cat whispered.

Jay nodded and turned, her paws itching, knowing that her kits were so close. But she couldn't get them right now, she had to fight this battle first. _And I won't have any scruples about taking the lives of a couple of different cats,_ she scowled.

Slipping through the ferns like a snake she easily found Poppy's patrol by scent. Jay greeted the patrol with a nod and silently slipped among their ranks, they didn't give her more then a glance or two and that was fine with her. She settled into a crouch, copying the others, with her ears pricked for the first sounds of battle and her eyes fixed on the patrol leader, who stood above the others with her head and tail raised.

The patrol leader, Poppy, was a brown, gold, and white tortoiseshell she-cat with amber eyes. Jay had hunted with her a few times before her spying assignment, and knew the she-cat to be a senior member of Python's group and was only a little younger than Python himself. She was skilled in all areas and had the ability to make sharp decisions on the spot and both follow and give orders with quiet confidence. To Jay, she resembled the perfect deputy and it was of no surprise she had been given head of this important patrol.

The other members of the group were; Lion, Cloud, Mole, Dew, and Night. The sleek black she-cat crouched on the other end of the patrol then Jay and every now and again she caught a shadowy look aimed at her from those dim green eyes. Clearly the black she-cat hadn't forgotten in the past moon what Jay had done to her.

But Jay didn't let it bother her, keeping her eyes fixed firmly on Poppy. Her ears twitched as she heard cat-calls echo in the distance, too far away to be understood but the message was clear. The Ivy Cats were taking the bait and in only a bit the battle would start and the Ivy Cats would lose everything.

Sure enough, as Jay's ears twitched impatiently, the first battle-cries erupted and the swift stampede of many paw-steps echoed from on both sides of her. The left and right wings were getting into the battle. It'd be their turn soon.

Jay kept her eyes on Poppy eagerly, her muscles tensed and the taste of anticipation fresh on her tongue. A faint smell came to her, the fresh scent of blood, and she felt her own blood heating up. Her claws unsheathed and an excited growl was ready in her throat.

But something distracted her. She had noticed it before but it had been so minimal it had been easy to forget in her eager state. But now she recognized it as something very wrong. She knew the scent of the Ivy Cats well, she knew the scent of Python's forces well. But this smell came from neither.

She crept up, ignoring the hisses of the other cats to stay still and stood up besides Poppy. The she-cat looked at her with careful amber eyes, "Is something the matter?" she asked in a voice full of commanding authority.

Jay dipped her head respectfully, "We have company," she murmured, jerking her nose to the west, which was where the scent was coming from. Since the breeze was coming from the north mountain ahead of them, it hadn't helped her to detect them, but they were growing dangerously close. Several cats, not a large force, but any unpredicted force was of interest in a war.

Poppy had lifted her nose high in the air and drew in deep breaths, her eyes growing troubled as she too caught the scent. "Let's move forward to see what is going on," Poppy murmured, ordering the cats forward in a stealthy crawl. Jay crept by her side, senses carefully attuned to the invisible enemy.

Then she noticed something else, "The battle has moved," she murmured, it was no longer directly in front of them, but to the north-east.

Poppy nodded, "When we got control of the battle, we were going to move it out of view of the cave, so that those left in the cave don't know what was going on." Jay remembered Python asked her about open areas by the cave but out of sight. She had recommended a clearing along the mountainside that was full of large gray boulders on the edges but covered in short, flat grass.

"Alright, I know where they are," Jay murmured.

Poppy invited her to take the lead and she rose into a trot, taking them along a needle-strewn trail used by the she-cats to gather herbs. It led right by the clearing and she felt a bit of satisfaction to hear the sounds of battle grow louder as they turned east along the mountains and came closer to the clearing.

She didn't need to tell the cats they were close, the sounds of battle roared before them, the sunlight could be seen ahead to show where the trees ended. Poppy held up her tail to tell the cats to wait, "Python hasn't given the signal yet," she murmured.

Jay didn't know what the signal was, but she shifted from paw to paw, her ears pricked for whatever the signal was. She didn't hear anything, but Poppy dropped her tail and leaped forward, ears flat against her head and powerful muscles carrying her gracefully forward.

Jay followed her, the rest of the cats moving behind them. As they ran forward in a V formation, Jay felt like she was a part of a large ocean wave moving to crash furiously against the beach. And crash they did, as they came out of the woods it was easy to spot the Ivy Cats struggling courageously against Python's forces. The Ivy Cats were mostly split up and being attacked two at a time, Jay saw that they were on the verge of collapsing.

She broke off from the formation just as they reached the scene, pulling back behind the others so that they wouldn't notice. There was only one cat she was interested in fighting. She skulked around the edge of the battle, batting at a couple Ivy Cats that nearly hit her, but they didn't notice her light blows, their eyes fixed upon their opponents with a light of outrage.

The battle was terribly loud, Jay didn't know if it was from moons of quiet or if the echoing off the mountain made it seem louder, but she laid her ears flat against her head and scowled. She didn't see Ash anywhere! But he was a fighter, so he should have been sent out. Virtually every other fighter was here, she even spotted Night battling furiously with Rockfall near the center of the clearing, the old tom fighting expertly against the younger rogue.

Turning to one of the boulders that lay askew on the edge of the clearing, she leaped on top of it so as to get a view from above. Up on the bumpy gray rock she peered down over the battle, cat battled cat with furious screeches and crimson red spotted the cats pelts. But she didn't see Ash.

Disappointed, she sat down and curled her tail around her paws. She'd wait a little while until things got interesting before she joined the fray. And she didn't have to wait long. The cats she had noticed before finally arrived. She had to admit she was curious to see who it would be but she wasn't too surprised to see a group of about ten cats, led by a brindle striped gray she-cat, come into the battle. She watched them carefully and noticed they were fighting against Python's cats. She assumed the brindle she-cat was Brie, the leader of the cats controlling the mountain pass.

Now, she looked in interest. The battle was evened out. Python's cats were now outnumbered by perhaps two or three cats, and they were suffering from the added forces as the Ivy Cats were invigorated by the reinforcements. The Pass cats did more harm by adding to the confusion of battle than actual blows, but it was more than enough to break any strategy Python had going into the battle. Now cat was locked in a bout of tooth and claw with whomever they were faced with.

"Things got out of paw quickly," a cat mewed behind her.

"Amelia," Jay mewed, glancing quickly over her shoulder, "It seems you were right about me dismissing factors too quickly," she mewed good-naturally. Jay knew when she was wrong, and so long as Amelia wasn't her enemy right now, she could admit it to her.

"Aren't you going to fight?" Amelia grunted.

Jay didn't answer her, "It doesn't look like the Ivy cats are too surprised to see the cats from the Pass," she commented. "Though I daresay they aren't pleased to get help from outsiders."

Amelia's tail swept over the rocks, "They were 'hired' by the Ivy Cats as an extra fighting force in return for amnesty on the Ivy Cats' lands and aid if need be," she black she-cat mewed.

"Funny that you never mentioned that," Jay mewed lightly.

"I learned of it after you ordered me to stop watching them," Amelia answered.

"Then how did you find out?"

Amelia growled, "Sorry, I meant when I stopped watching them for you. I can do whatever I want."

Jay dropped it, eyes fixated on the battle, the blood was pounding in her veins and the scent of blood just made her paws throb harder. Her belly felt tight and her paws were damp, her mouth watered as if she hadn't eaten in moons.

"Just join the fight already," Amelia sighed, giving her a nudge. But Jay held herself to the rock, she was still waiting. As the battle waged on, the cats she had expected to come came. A patrol of hunters, led by Sun, were approaching the battle cautiously. They came from along the mountain and were easy to spot out in the open, they moved slowly and a little awkwardly as if they were in pain. Jay bet the poison wasn't completely out of the cats systems yet.

"I think I will," Jay mewed, abandoning the black cat atop the boulder as she sprang from it like a shot and hit the ground running. She stayed along the edge of the woods and held herself close to the ground. She had assumed the cats would spot her quickly, being hunters and heavily dependent on their eyes, but since they were focused on the battle straight ahead of them, they notice her until she was almost upon them.

Blizzard, Crag, Cedar, and Olive accompanied Sun and since most of the fighters were back in the clearing, that meant the only toms left in the cave were Pepper, Tangle, and possibly Ash. She broke from the shadows of the woods and approached the cats head on.

At first they didn't react, staring at her in surprise. It wasn't until she had skidded to a stop, stood on her hind legs, and raked her claws over their ears that they reacted, quickly scattering out of her way. Jay targeted Crag, leaping on the back of the sandy-brown tom as he was trying to put distance between him and her.

As she'd expected, they weren't used to such a weight or pain and he fell with a howl of agony when she gave a sharp bite to his shoulder. Before the other cats turned on her she'd pretty much incapacitated him by raking her claws down his flanks and boxed his ears hard enough that the blood ran into his eyes, blinding him so that he lay on the ground and moaned.

Olive reached her first, his pale green eyes narrowed in furious slits as he launched himself at her as if she were a mouse, perching awkwardly on her back, his claws loosely grabbing her scruff as he bit her ear so that a sharp pain shot through her.

Angrily, she shook him off and pounced on him, but she grabbed him strongly and, though they were about the same size, she easily flipped him onto his back. She saw the sudden fear light in his eyes as he felt his belly exposed while his forepaws were pinned down. Jay narrowed her eyes in amusement, _he can't even think about using his back legs._

Jay didn't need to use her claws with him, she gave his stomach a few hard blows and left him staring sickly up at the sky. By this time Sun and Blizzard had reached her while Cedar checked up on his cave-mates. The yellow and white toms ran around her in a confusing way, expertly giving blows where she was vulnerable.

Jay gave a sly smirk and caught Sun's gaze, she smirked harder as he faltered. It was easy enough to discover their pattern, for they only had one, since prey would be dead before they needed another. But Jay was no helpless shrew or vole, she was quickly parrying their blows with expert ease and then giving her own blows until both of their pelts were spotted with blood.

She broke up their tactic by leaping on Blizzard and raking her claws across his face. When Sun jumped on her back she rolled to the ground and when they both were on their sides she was the first on her paws and bit down on his tail so hard that he nearly jumped and let out a screech.

He furiously turned on her but she was waiting and cut her claws across his nose, followed by a harsh thump to the head that made him sit back, looking dazed. Blizzard had stood up and was staring at her with fright while Cedar hung back, looking too scared to ever fight her.

"H-how can you fight like that?" Olive groaned, spitting blood out of his mouth from where he lay with his head on the ground, face contorted with pain.

"You think she-cats can't learn to fight? Well, you're wrong. Where I come from every cat knows how to fight; she-cats, toms, everybody. My mother saved every cat and my mentor is the greatest strategist by the lake," Jay mewed in a low voice, the toms were staying down, they didn't want to challenge her again.

Jay looked around at them, feeling satisfaction at their pained faces and bloody wounds, "I've always love fighting," Jay purred, lifting a paw and turning it over to see her claws- blood-speckled and fur-clogged. "It is exhilarating," she sighed, tilting her head back to stare at the blue sky, the orange rays of dusk were starting to creep over the blue and a few clouds were cast in dark shadow. Her smile slipped, the soft clouds and warm colors reminded her of something softer and warmer. "And I will fight to have my kits again," she growled, glaring angrily at all the cats.

She strode past them, her back to the battle and her eyes fixed on the mountainside. She was going to get her kits and nothing was going to stop her. Half-way there, just out of sight of the Ivy Cats cave, she encountered the cat she'd been looking for since she had crossed back into the territory.

Jay didn't even feel like smirking as she stared at him, his head cocked high and his tail curled behind him, lifted slightly over the ground. His eyes watched her with the kind of appreciation a hunter had for its kill and the grayness in them seemed to mute out every other color.

"Ash," she growled, keeping tight control on her anger. She didn't want it to burn, she wanted it to explode when she needed it.

"Jay," he returned sweetly, as if she were his lover. It made Jay sick to hear her name, as far as she was concerned, there was only one cat that could speak to her like that.

Jay swiped a bit of blood off her cheek and unsheathed her claws again, she was going to tear him apart. Ash unsheathed his claws and crouched too, ready to launch into battle, his eyes flitting around her. Jay only watched him, stared at him, remembering his look the other night.

She flattened her ears and stilled her tail, this would be the last time he ever got in her way. She was about to explode.


	21. Explode

The waves of heat from the dying sun, the long black shadows that crossed her eyes, the taste of blood in her mouth. Jay forgot it all as she stared at the smirking face before her. Her claws were unsheathed and curled tight, she felt her loose, supple body tighten in ready for battle.

The cold rage she kept in her chest was fizzling, starting a burning sensation throughout her. But she held it back, keeping her veins full of ice and her gaze unnervingly sharp. Ash watched her with a lofty expression, but she could see in his eyes that he was carefully analyzing her. She noticed his head tucked into his chin, signaling he was taking this fight seriously.

_Good, I'd hate for him to roll over and die._ The pain of helplessness will be sweeter to give when he's trying. They stared at each other, waiting for who would make the first move. The coarse caw of a crow broke the intense staring match and Jay sprung forward.

In the few fleeting seconds it took for her to cover the ground between Ash and herself, Jay recalled every moment of training she'd ever done, every blow she'd ever received, every wound she'd ever dealt. She had it all in her, she would win this fight.

Jay kept her eyes centered on Ash, not betraying where she would strike and as she got closer and still hadn't made her target clear, she saw a faint flicker of panic. It disappeared swiftly as he charged her, forcing her to avoid him since he was the bigger cat.

It was easy to see he was trying to get behind her, but that didn't bother her, she used the sound of his paw steps to find where he was before launching herself into the air, spinning around by use of her tail. Had he not pulled back in time she would have landed on his head and crushed his skull.

Still, he was so shocked that while he spent half a second recovering she raked her claws across her muzzle, sending drops of blood flying. She followed up on the blow by spinning around and balancing on her forepaws, using the strength of her back paws and the momentum of her spin to hit him in the side of the head hard enough that he fell sideways to the ground.

Jay turned to face him again but he had quickly rolled away and stood as far away as he had at the start of the fight. Jay scowled, "Fight for real, this is no fun!" she hissed.

Ash calmly used a paw to swipe away the blood on his face and rubbed his head where he had hit the ground. "I've never seen that move before," he commented quietly, looking at her again with arrogance.

Jay felt cold rage build up in her once more, but she didn't let it turn hot yet. His impudence would be thrown right back in his face if he didn't act. Ash seemed to realize this, for he made the first move this time, running toward her with startling speed. However, compared to a WindClan cat, he was slow as a turtle.

Jay saw him lean in one direction while his eyes were on the other. That made it difficult to decide which way he was aiming, so she watched his paws and waiting for him to strike out in one direction or the other. When he was two steps in front of her his paws drew close together and she saw he was going to leap.

When his forepaws had lifted off the ground Jay bowled into him, using her head against his stomach to send him tumbling backwards. Seizing her chance, she leaped on him while he was on the ground and raked her claws down his sides. She felt vaguely disappointed, he was neither putting up a very good fight nor screaming in pain.

Jay felt her heart thump in her throat as he surged up with a feat of strength and sent her flying, hitting the ground on her side and skidding on the grass for a good three tail-lengths. Now Ash was upon her, ripping and tearing at her skin and fur with vicious blows.

The pain scorched across her skin and Jay glared at nothing as Ash's claws pulled and tore at seemingly every place. _Just like he did with the eagle,_ she saw the picture in her head of him swarming over the eagle, tearing and plucking and she had a vision of him doing the same to her.

In an incredibly risky move, she flipped onto her back and as his claws dug into her belly she gave a hearty shriek and pushed him off with her back paws, making sure her claws were sheathed so as not to get caught in his fur. He grunted as he was thrown clean of her and she flipped herself back onto her paws, settling into a crouch.

Her breathing was ragged and she could feel blood trickling from her wounds, none of them were terribly deep, but they smarted terribly. Ash had suffered damage too and seemed to be panting same as her, his own fur started to mat in places where the blood was soaking into his pelt. He stared at her and shook himself vigorously, "Ready to give up?" he called.

"Bite me," Jay retorted, "And stop running away! If we were in a real battle you'd be torn to shreds! Or trampled on, frankly, either would be fine with me,"

"This has been going on for awhile, hasn't it?" Ash mused.

Jay's pelt itched, she wasn't here to talk to him. She charged for him again, "Just die already," she scowled, seeming him turn to leap away. The second he leaped so did she, landing beside him and batting at his face with a flurry of blows.

Ash used his forepaws to block most of the damage to his face but when Jay took a step back she saw his forepaws were all cut up. _The easiest way to defeat a cat is to go for their paws, if they can't use their paws they can't fight._ It was one of the first things any apprentice learned and Jay hadn't forgotten about it.

Lunging for him, she felt his claws slice over her skin, but she hit her mark, grabbing both of his back legs at the joint and hitting them hard so that he fell flat on his belly. The fight was half won as Jay pounced on his back, forcing out an "Ooof!" And flattening him to the ground. Burying her teeth in his neck and raking her claws over his spine she finally tore from him a pain-wrenched screech.

And now her cap was off. The cold rage in her belly was ignited by his pain and she was filled with fire. Her vision blurred red as she tore, scratched, slice, hit, pulled, bit, and pummeled the piece of flesh beneath her. The scent of blood washed over her, sweet and sour like an ocean breeze and the metallic taste in her mouth made her drool.

Her conscious gently poked at her to let up her attack and eventually she tore herself away, remembering she was here to get her kits. Stepping back she felt grim satisfaction to see the orange tom torn at almost part, his fur drenched in blood as a trail of the red liquid ran down the hill. Ash didn't move or make a sound so she wondered if he were still alive.

Moving close enough she put her muzzle down close to his muzzle. His eyes were closed, his face twisted in pain, but a gurgling breath stirred her whiskers. He was still alive, for now, but he was far from consciousness. Turning her back in the bloody body, she marched onward toward the cave.

Her body was weighed with tiredness and the sun was disappearing behind the mountains, leaving the valley in cool shade. The refreshing night air chased the heated rage from her and even the burning desire for blood had diminished. She was going to march right into the cave, take her kits, and leave. Any cat that got in her way would pay with their own blood.

The fresh breeze that flowed down the mountain relieved the pain of her scratches and she felt fresh strength enter her at the thought of seeing her kits again. It had been less than one day, but it felt like moons since she'd seen their sweet little faces.

Jay looked up at the cave with a rush of joy, she'd never imagined she could feel such happiness looking up at the cave with its ivy covering and little waterfall streaming down its side. She caught the flash of fur at the entrance and knew she'd been spotted, but that was of no consequence. The she-cats couldn't stop her and neither could a pair of old hunters.

She could do whatever she wanted, Jay flexed her claws, thinking of a particular cat who would be curled in a soft mossy nest, eyes looking sightlessly around. She wondered if it would be satisfying in the slightest to snuff out that life? No,it was probably more trouble than it was worth, a life of blind loneliness was a fine punishment anyways.

The gray she-cat marched up the mountainside, finding it much easier now that she wasn't heavy with kits. She reached the cave and turned for a moment to look out over the valley. The battle, if it hadn't been concluded yet, was out of sight and earshot, but she fancied she could hear the far off shrieks echoing off the mountain. The valley itself looked gray as evening crept between the trees and over the hills, filling the ditches and fattening the shadows.

The curtain was falling across the mountains, so also upon the Ivy Cats. Jay purred and stepped boldly into the cave, her hollow shadow cast across the familiar dappled stone and the deathly silent cats.

Jay looked around with a pleased expression. She felt a gross satisfaction to see the cats looking at her in horror. She was sure her reappearance was unexpected, and her outward appearance- fur splattered with blood, red stained teeth and paws- was probably less then comforting.

She could see all the cats pressed up against the walls; Flower, Swoop, Vale, Cascade, Tinge, Silk, Feather, Tallow, and even Rainfall. Jay allowed her pleasant expression and smoldering eyes to rest on the rebellious looking she-cat a moment longer.

Turning, she spotted Pepper and Tangle standing shoulder-to-shoulder in front of the herb den- probably protecting Thunderstorm. Little Eagle lay between them, curled upon the ground and fast asleep. No cat spoke to her as her paw steps echoed through the cave.

That didn't concern her though, so long as no cat didn't confront her, they could do what they liked. At first she started for the kit den where she had left her kits but after a step or two halted, drawing in the scents. She spun around and marched straight for the hunters kit den.

Again, no cat lifted a paw to stop her, they only watched her with quiet, confused eyes. She entered the kit den, finding it larger and more round than the fighters. The ceiling was domed and there was a hole in the cave high along the wall where a bit of ivy grew but where the cool night air came in along with a bit of twilight.

Not that she much noticed this, her eyes being irresistibly drawn to her kits. She hadn't realized she'd been holding her breath until she felt the deep sigh escape her and relief fill her with weak-relief. Her kits looked unscathed, all three of them were curled around each other.

Jay purred and wrapped herself around them, pulling them to her belly where they quickly latched on to nurse. That was another relief, for she had been feeling uncomfortable for a while. She purred and groomed her kits, washing away the faint scent of Swoop, who must have been acting as a foster-mother for the day.

Their tiny purrs showed that they had recognized her as their real mother and she felt tender delight fill her as they nuzzled their little noses into her fur. Jay lay with them, not sleeping, but watching them with her head resting on her paws till the stars came out and the hoot of an owl played delicately on the soft breeze. All thoughts of leaving had floated away.

Eagle had at this time the misfortune of coming into the den, unaware that she had returned. Upon seeing her he gave a screech and hurled himself at her back which was turned toward the entrance. He was screaming curses that Jay had seldom heard come from so squeaky a voice.

She would have batted him away with a gentle hiss, but one of his flailing paws hit Hail over the head and the little tom-kit let out a wail. Jay's head shot up, ears pricked and her body tense with alertness. After seeing that it was no more than a bump she turned on Eagle who was still batting at her.

Jay imagined that with the shadows and faint beam of starlight she looked rather terrifying, looming over the kit with her blood stained teeth and ferocious growl. The little tom kit ran from the den with a terrified wail as Jay glared after him.

But now she looked around and felt a bit perturbed. It was late, the sun had now fully set, and she'd been listening the whole time. No cat had returned. The battle couldn't still be going on, surely? Her stomach twisted as she thought of Ash, he was dead by now, he had to be. And yet, she remembered his smirk when he faced her, as if everything were going his way.

She didn't know what his plan had been or if it had been stopped. But she realized one thing; staying here any longer would not only be pointless, but dangerous. She had to leave immediately. She looked at her three kits and purred gently, as they were disturbed by her tensing up. "Come on, sweet ones, we're going to go home," she cooed, taking them by the scruff as she had last night and rising, padded out of the cave.

Most of the cats had fallen asleep in silent anxiety. Even Tangle had curled up on the ground in front of the herb den. As Jay walked by she met Pepper's eyes, those blue eyes stared back at her, those old tired eyes that looked at her with deep sadness. They had seen so much, but they wouldn't see much more.

Jay felt a strange prick of guilt that she so closely resembled Rainstone. She was sure her appearance itself had brought up painful memories, but there was nothing anyone could do about the past. She looked down at her kits, swaying gently from her grip, she could only protect the future.

She stepped out of the silent cave into the night air, eyes lifted merrily to the twinkling stars. This was it! She was going home! Eyes fixed on the ground, she left the cave and padded down the mountainside, looking for one moment in the direction where the battle had occurred.

Jay turned her back on it, striding determinately forward. She had waited for this moment for over a moon, the moment she would take her kits home and start a new life. Yes, she was shedding her old life and taking on a new one much like how the forest shed its richness during leaf-bare and then sprouted in fresh glory in new-leaf.

* * *

**... Amelia's POV...**

The black she-cat watched with narrowed eyes as the gray she-cat in front of her sprang away, moving swiftly in a route that would cut off the path of a few Ivy Cats that were creeping up on the battle. Amelia sighed, this battle was too chaotic to be interesting.

She turned away as she saw Jay fall into battle with the distant patrol and leaped to the ground with the boulder between her and the battle. These cats were so noisy, at least in the Clans cats didn't shriek at every scratch. Walking through the forest the din of the battle didn't seem to fade and the black she-cat scowled, climbing onto a patch of moss and curling down. She'd go check on the battle later.

Closing her eyes, she wondered how much of this battle had been a surprise for Jay. She, of course, had known exactly what was going on. She even knew that Ash had another plan in mind, but even though she'd once known, it'd vanished from her memory. It would be curious to see what happened.

Rolling on her back she looked up through the leaves at the sky which was turning a rusty orange. Was Jay fighting Ash right now? She'd seen the tom sitting as sentry on the pathway to the cave, when Jay finished with that patrol she'd head straight for him. _She's probably so furious about him taking her kits that she won't think twice about killing him._

And she had little doubt that Jay was capable, she'd seen the gray she-cat fight up close and had she been any less skilled she would have felt threatened by the younger she-cat. Amelia had also seen Ash fight and although he may be a match for a normal young warrior back in the Clans, Jay wasn't the usual young warrior. And she probably had more to fight for than most cats.

_Yep, by the end of the day Python will win. Of course, Ash must know this, so what is his plan?_ She didn't particularity care, she could avoid it easily and Jay was better at getting into his head than she was anyways.

She flattened her ears and groaned up at the sky, the cats were so noisy! Rolling onto her paws the sleek black she-cat stood up and glared at a patch of ferns in the distance. Leaping up into the small elm tree above her head she crossed the distance in silence until she stood directly above the fern patch.

Two pairs of ears were poked out of the bush and they were murmuring to each other. It was easy for Amelia to recognize the cats. It was Dusty and Whirl, the two youngest members of the cats in Brie's group. They were about seven moons old and they could only put up a mediocre fight at best.

But Amelia found them spying on her in poor taste. They must have been sent to round up any cats that ran away from the battle, but it was irksome that they didn't even know her scent as different from Python's cats who smelt of sand and sun.

Dropping down behind them she saw the brown and black cats start and spin around to face her, finding her glowering over them. They shook and stared at her for some moments before turning and running away. Amelia glared after them, uninterested in fighting them.

Something else had caught her attention. Pricking her ears she heard an incoherent babbling as if she were listening to speech from under water. Shaking her head she stood up on her hind legs as if that would help her hear better. It sounded eerily haunting, as if she had heard it before. It struck a chill down her spine, but she wasn't scared... yet.

Frowning, she started padding back toward the battle since that seemed to be where the chatter was coming from. Her ears pricked and a frown on her face she slipped between the shadows of the forest, silent as a weightless shadow.

The chatter grew louder and she felt like she ought to know these words, these sounds seemed so familiar. Amelia halted. She remembered where she had heard this before. The memory was broken, like a half-forgotten dream that slipped through the awakened conscious like sunbeams through fog.

This was the sound she'd heard when she was heading up into the eastern mountain, the noise that had led to the crescent arch. The path where memories were stolen from you. Amelia felt a powerful urge to turn back; to leave and avoid this whole episode.

But curiosity drove her on. This was her chance to see what it was that had lain behind the stone arch, and possibly find out what had taken her memories, and more importantly, why. She dropped to a crouch as the light at the edge of the forest- orange and slanted with huge gashes of shadow scored through it- appeared.

She stopped, her breath still as the noise of the battle stopped abruptly and even the babble ceased, becoming one incoherent voice speaking across the silence. Quickening her pace, Amelia slunk behind the boulder that was at the edge of the woods and which blocked her view of the battlefield.

She could now clearly hear a voice and its words, it held a kind of authority and grave power, like that of a mentor over an apprentice. "We have left you to your own devices for too long. You've grown greedy, self-serving, viscous, and in every way you've degraded the nobility of cats," the grave voice was saying, it sounded almost familiar to Amelia but she didn't have a face to go with the voice.

"We have been fighting for just that purpose! To restore peace and prosperity," a voice dissented, it was a strong, low voice and Amelia guessed it was Python.

"No," a different voice returned coldly, "You've been fighting for your own delusional ideals. You want power and you want every cat to accept your own standards of what you perceive is right and wrong."

"And what's wrong with that? Some cat has to show others what is good and what is bad!" That was Glade, Amelia knew the gray she-cat was usually cool-voiced, but she seemed fired up now.

"As the victors, we now have the right to do whatever we want with you," the cold voice mewed, it was feminine but there was a shade in the tongue that struck Amelia as ruthless. It was not a tone many cats had or many cats could detect. She herself sometimes used it, and Jay often used it, unconsciously of course.

"We haven't lost!" A voice mewed defiantly and several cats mewed their agreement- Amelia felt it was curious that both Ivy Cats and Python's cats were in agreement for the moment when they had been locked in furious battle heartbeats before.

"No, but you would, " the first voice mewed again, in the same grave matter. "You are all exhausted and torn to shreds as a result of your own violence. Barely a pawful of you would be able to give any resistance, and against us, any resistance would be futile."

Amelia's curiosity was peaked, but so was her weariness. She took a deep breath and could smell only the stench of blood and cold fear as the working of war took a drastically different turn. The wind was blowing off the mountain toward her, so it was unlikely she'd been discovered.

She dared a peak around the great gray boulder. The clearing was covered in cats and spotted with blood. The shadows cast by the rocks covered most cats with darkness, but two cats stood on the boulder opposite of Amelia in full light. They both had white pelts that glowed despite the fading light. The one that stood higher had white eyes that stared sightlessly around her, and yet, they were simply overflowing with intelligence and wisdom as if the full moon had grown a twin and settled itself in her eyes, it was breathtaking.

The other cat, a she-cat with violet eyes that looked very pale stood with an air of detached superiority and looked down upon the cats. This was the cat with the ruthless edge in her otherwise pretty voice. Around them stood well over a dozen cats with scratch-free pelts and eyes brimming with strength.

It was true that at the moment the battle-weary cats before them would hardly prove difficult to defeat. Most cats seemed to have resigned themselves to that fact though they by no means looked like they were ready to submit. _The smart thing to do would be to buy your time until you are strong enough to resist, either Python's cats or the Ivy Cats could beat them at full strength..._

"Of course, we don't expect you all to readily submit to our authority. There will need to be an incentive," the pale eyed white she-cat continued, starting off on a rant of how they were the 'enlightened' and were led by the light of the stars. It was hardly going to convince these cats to submit, but they listened with interest and especially the cats that had held the mountain pass seemed swayed by the stirring ideas.

The older white she-cat lifted her head again, "We do not wish to be your enemies, but your friends. Not your rulers, but your fellows; however, you must accept a few things and for the moment we will start with three rules."

The younger white cat spoke again, "One, rebellion is intolerable. Two, my mother, Blanche," the white she-cat glanced up at the blind she-cat, "Is the supreme judge. Third, we will live together in one common home and we will either gather together all the cats in the valley or drive them all out."

Growls rippled through the cats, they were getting tired of this nonsense. One cat rose out of the crowd, his dark shoulders gleaming though they were ruffled from the brawl. It was Python and he stared dead straight at the two white she-cats. "You want us to give ourselves to you? That will never happen, we've fought long and hard, our work will not bring us to being rules by strange cats with stranger rules!"

The violet eyed she-cat leaped to the ground and moved through the crowd of cats that parted around her, stopping in front of Python, her held tilted up to look at the tom who made her seem small and frail by comparison. But it was an illusion, Amelia knew, and Python knew as well for he stood defensibly, watching the she-cat warily.

Amelia saw it happen, but she couldn't hardly believe it. The white she-cat did nothing but stare silently at Python, and yet... and yet! The massive tom gave a chocking a cough and without another word collapsed; Amelia could just see blood trickling out of his mouth and his eyes staring wide-open at nothing. A ripple of horror went through the cats and they all took a step away from the white she-cat- some cat gave an ear-splitting screech at the sight of Python on the ground.

"I hate resorting to violence, but we have a duty and we will not rest until it is complete," the white she-cat mewed, her eyes contained a gleam of madness in their depths and Amelia shrank back behind the rock.

The cats in the clearing had become frightened, their stank fear scent masked even the smell of blood on the battlefield. "Now come with us, we will make a home where all can be happy and free," a new voice invited and a chorus of friendly voices pulled the frightened cats toward them. Amelia didn't see what happened next but the cats were trooping off, heading in the direction of the Ivy Cats cave.

Amelia watched them, the strange cats leading the way with bright eyes and raised tails. The other cats watched with suspicion and fear, some had sadness as they looked back at Python's immobile body. Theirs was an overall atmosphere of rebellion, but they were too frightened of what had happened to Python to do anything at this moment.

The last cats to leave were the two white she-cats, the younger one leading the blind cat after the others had gone. Their pelts glowed luminescent in the shadows. As they were disappearing from view, the blind cat turned and looked at Amelia as if she had really seen her.

The black she-cat was trapped in the white gaze. It seemed to turn over every inch of her and dig into her heart with unbridled scrutiny. A memory flashed, she had seen this gaze before; this feeling was familiar. Cold certainty filled her belly with a sickening weight as the cats disappeared for good.

She _knew_ she had seen this cat before. She _knew_ this wasn't as surprising as it seemed, but she didn't know why. Turning, Amelia went into the abandoned battlefield and approached Python's limp body. Gaulish curiosity pulled at her to see the corpse, to find what had killed him. Had the she-cat moved so quickly that she hadn't seen her strike? That was the most reasonable explanation.

But she could see from a distance that the only blood that flowed came from his mouth and all of the wounds he'd suffered during the battle were shallow. Amelia's ears pricked as he gave a single wheezing cough, he wasn't dead yet?

She hurried to his side, putting her muzzle down near his so that she could check his breathing and he could see her. His blue eyes were tight with pain and the dimness of fading light was glazed over them. "It is all over," he whispered, staring at her with a sort of shocked hopelessness.

Amelia didn't answer, feeling awkward that she would be the last cat he saw when she'd never seen him closer than at a distance. "The cats will live on," she offered soothingly, frowning at the blood that trickled from his mouth, had he bit his tongue?

"But they are not free!" Python argued pitifully, trying and failing to move his head, coughing up a mouthful of blood. _Redcough? No, he isn't sick._ Amelia continued looking for the source of his impending death. "The Ivy Cats have not been destroyed, and these new cats, they will be no good either! My dream is dead."

"And soon you will be too," Amelia mewed, "What is it that hurts?" she asked.

Python closed his eyes, "My chest hurts... it hurts so much."

Amelia put her ear to his chest, only a faint breath stirred it to life and even that was fading quickly. "When has destruction ever brought freedom? It only brings chaos, death, and pain," she mewed. There was nothing wrong with his chest, expect the lack of breath.

The tom was laboring and more blood trickled from his mouth, "It hurts," he sighed.

Amelia looked at the pain construed face and took pity on him, "The pain will be gone soon, close your eyes and count to three," she told him gently.

The tom obeyed, closing his eyes and relaxing his body against the ground, "One," he began, "Two," he took a breath.

But it was unnecessary. The breath was silenced as Amelia snapped his neck with a clean bite as if he had been a fragile bit of prey. Looking at the now dead tom, Amelia felt perturbed. She didn't know what had caused his injury, and that meant she couldn't prevent it from happening. Which meant every cat in the valley was in danger.

Amelia whirled around; she needed to share this information with Jay and they needed to make some plan before they were backed into a corner where they had no choice but to submit of die.

The storms of change had now crashed upon the tranquil valley, but the fight had only just begun.


	22. Fight Or Flee

The dry wind whizzed over the landscape, catching the dry stalks of grass and rustling them and crunching them against each other. The sun seemed more distant than previously, though it still shed warm light over the valley. The rich scents were gone, replaced by a wilting, receding taste as the undergrowth died back and the trees started appearing worn and weary.

The height of green-leaf had passed, and with it, the hope of most cats for a brighter future.

Nearly a moon since the cats from beyond the crescent arch-way in the mountain- they called themselves 'StarReaders'- had simultaneously taken control of both the Ivy Cats and Python's cats without a struggle, and the situation had only continued to grow worse for almost every cat.

Not so for Jay. She lived that moon as if it were a perfect dream that would never end. Away in her thick green walled den, she spent days on end with only her kits- leaving them only to hunt, drink, and make dirt. Her kits grew quickly, and within days of being brought to her den they were opening their eyes and speaking their first words.

They opened their eyes- at first robin-egg blue but then changing into their own colors. Flint had her own dark blue eyes while Ice and Hail each had a matching pair of green eyes. The kits learned to walk, to play, and learned about the outside world from stories Jay would tell them in the den as long dark shadows encircled the valley. Before long, they were romping around in the meadow outside the den and always begging her to take them with her when she hunted.

Jay adored them. Every night she slept like she hadn't in moons, their soft fur against her belly and their sweet scent in her nose. And every morning she woke purring as she watched over their sleeping, squirming, bodies until they awoke.

Their was a light of worship in their eyes as they watched her return with a massive hare or impressive bird, three pairs of round, bright eyes staring from the darkness, Jay felt their love. Every time they complained when she washed them clean, but stood still anyways, she knew they loved her. When they whispered little secrets in her ear, she knew she loved them.

But even that dreamlike moon was not without its own troubles and worries. The night Jay had returned to her den, exhausted and falling asleep with her kits on a moss nest that- a moon ago- had been perfect but which was now rough and smelly, Amelia had woken her with perturbing news.

Python was dead and strange cats had come and conquered all on the battlefield. The Ivy Cats, Python's cats, the cats from the Mountain pass, everyone. Somehow, cats they hadn't even known existed, managed in one evening become the most powerful group in the valley.

Jay wasn't particularly sad about Python's death, it was more of a loss to the valley than to her. The news of this new force brought up worrisome issues though. Jay had little doubt that this group were the rumored occult cats that she had brushed to the back of her mind as a fairytale.

But now she could surmise that these were also the cats from beyond the crescent arch that she had briefly fought before being brought back to the valley with hardly any memory of what had transpired beyond the arch. The first difficulty that was brought up was, how did they even know what was going on in the valley?

Had they frequently come to the valley, they would have been notice. nd the signal of attack- her leaving the Ivy Cats- had been given not even a whole day in advance of the battle. So how had they known when the fight would happen if they were tucked away secretly in the mountains? It was obvious they had planned on the fight to be able to conquer the cats without any risk to themselves.

Unfortunately, Jay had to admit it was probably Ash's doing. That was why he had seemed so sure, so calm to betray both sides. It didn't matter how many enemies you made if you were allies with the strongest. However, the tom had disappeared from the valley during the fight and Jay assumed that meant he had died before he could see his works come to fulfillment, it brought some relief to Jay that Ash was no longer breathing.

So now there was a powerful force occupying most of the valley that had declared that every cat left in the valley would either have to join them or would be driven out. Jay has been hoping that insubordination would take place among their ranks before she had to pay them much mind, but it had already been a moon- more than enough time for every cats' woulds to heal- and still nothing.

Jay knew that it was foolish and dangerous to keep ignoring them as if that would make them disappear. And yet, she didn't want to get involved in something as messy as this, but the only other option would to flee. And with her kits at their age, it wasn't safe, and she didn't want to leave the valley right now.

This was what she knew as she sat with Amelia outside of the den as twilight's charming grayness swept over the valley, construing the shapes around them to look misshapen and ghostly as the distant glow of orange faded over the western mountain peaks.

"First we have to find where their camp is. They haven't left Ivy Cat territory, or at least not in a huge number, and the cave is too small for all of them," Jay murmured, not wanting to worry her kits which were playing in the soft grass not more than two tail-lengths away, dabbing at a moth that flitted around over their heads with soft, sheathed paws.

"Maybe they went back into their former territory?" Amelia suggested.

Jay growled, "You know that they wouldn't do that if they planned on taking over the valley. They're still here," she mewed, looking at Amelia harshly, "And you already know where they are," she added, in an accusatory tone.

The black she-cat looked up at where the half moon was rising, a few stars appearing over the eastern mountain. "They have two camps, conjoined, but separated by a stream that runs through the middle. I'm not sure, but it seems that all of the 'Star Reader' cats and a number of the others are on one side, while the rest live on the other side. I couldn't tell you exactly how they are organized or why the cats haven't rebelled, but as far as I could tell, no cat is being held hostage or mistreated."

Jay frowned, her tail thumping against the ground. "Your opinion is that they won't rebel then?" Amelia shook her head and shrugged. "Do they look unhappy?" Jay asked, watching her kits as they play-fought with little squeals, tumbling over each other in the hazy light.

"No..." Amelia began slowly, "They didn't seem unhappy, but I wouldn't say they seem happy either. They all seemed... apathetic."

Jay felt a chill along her spine and shivered, a lack of emotion was not good. Cats like that were the least likely to excite to anything. Of course, it could all be in act to not get in trouble but still, none of those cats were good at acting like she and Ash were.

"One more question, where exactly is their camp? And have they gone past the Ivy Cats territory?" Jay asked.

Amelia sighed, "Their camp is in the woods, a little north-west of the center of Ivy Cat territory, there's a tall hill that rises up near it with a slab of rock on it where the cat who seems to be leader- Blanche- spends most of her time. Though she seems to be treated with more respect and is the highest authority, her daughter is the one that does the most delegating and ordering. And no, they haven't gone past the border, though they are frequenting the borders more now then at first."

"Then they might be getting ready to start expanding their territory. And there isn't a cat in this valley with the feasible power to stop them except themselves," Jay muttered.

"Well? What do you want to do?" Amelia asked, looking at her with narrowed amber eyes.

Jay kept her eyes fixed on her kits, "I want to stay here with my kits and pretend that nothing else is happening. But I can't do that," she added painfully. She felt like her dream was coming to an end and it was slowly turning darker, not quite a nightmare, but less dreamy, less clear. The edges were being fuzzed and the facts turned blurry.

"I think that we should spread the news to all the other scattered cats in the valley," Jay mewed, standing up, "If we warn them and bring them together, we may be given one of two options."

"And what would those be?" Amelia asked, her voice grave for once.

"Fight or flee," Jay sighed. "I can't expect to take on these cats by myself, even knocking out all the StarReaders would be impossible. They don't seem to be normal cats. But there is still safety in numbers, even with such a large enemy. If we all banded together we could either flee the valley together or maybe fight them in guerrilla style to discourage them from expanding beyond the Ivy Cats borders," Jay sighed.

"You don't seem excited about either option," Amelia murmured.

"I'm not!" Jay raised her voice in a flash of anger, but when her kits looked at her quizzically she calmed down and purred, waving her tail at them to continue and sat down again. But she plucked at the grass with her claws and her pelt rippled.

In a low voice, she murmured, "I spent two moons fighting and working to get here," she looked around the meadow, "I don't want to have to leave now. And I also don't want to fight anymore, I'm tired of it." She felt a wave of weariness, her mind reeled away from the problem at paw and her body felt heavy as if she were slowly being crushed.

"This is even worse than living in the Clans," Jay sighed, she had left hoping for less responsibility then before and less conflict so that she could forget everything. But she'd had to bloody her paws every step of the way since she had left and now it seemed she must either become a refugee and make a new home or fight everyday for the rest of her life.

"But now you have your kits," Amelia mewed, almost gently, nodding at the three bundles of fluff that were yawning but still running around as if determined to prove to themselves that they weren't tired while they fell asleep on their paws. "They give you every reason in the world to either fight or flee, whichever you choose."

Jay relaxed against those words and her mind returned to its normal state, "Alright, we'll take turns going out and warning the remaining cats of the valley of what has happened. We'll tell them that a tyrannic force has conquered both the Ivy Cats and Python's cats, that Python has been killed, and that these cats are trying to either force us to join them or drive us out. Tell them that there will be a meeting at Eagle Tree in five days."

Eagle Tree was a large, old, dead tree. It was very tall and stood on a slight hill in front of the southern-most mountain, the tops of the tree was full of old eagle nests- long abandoned- that covered the top of the splintered gray tree like a covering of gray-brown leaves.

Jay stood up again, shifting her weight from one paw to the next, "You'll go out tonight and contact all the cats in the eastern half of the remaining free territory, and then I'll go out when you return to comb over the rest of the territory while you watch my kits and get some rest."

Amelia nodded, the twilight had turned to night and the black shadows laid heavily on the edges of the clearing. But silver moonlight lit up the meadow and fell softly upon her three kits who had fallen asleep in a pile of black and gray fur.

Jay purred, "Go quickly, and keep careful track of the names and numbers, I want a full account," Jay ordered. The black she-cat nodded her head, a slight movement in the dark light, and headed off at a brisk trot, tail in the air.

Jay padded delicately toward her kits, the cool air fresh upon her face as she drew in their soft scents. Their pale noses were silver in the purple moonlight, their stubby tails twitched occasionally, fluffy fur stood on end from their tumbling play and they were encircled by a carefree air that made Jay's heart fill with love and pride.

With a contented sigh, Jay woke them quietly and helped them hobble- half asleep- back into the den and into the new nest that was covered with layers of plush moss. Jay kneaded the moss to make it softer and then they plopped themselves down in the middle of the nest.

Jay circled around them, the darkness of the den broken only by the silver light that crept in through the small entrance. The kits nursed and were shortly back to sleep, their paws twitching in intervals as they dreamed. Jay purred, feeling sleep drag at her own eyes, but her anxiety about the future stole away some of the softness as she laid her head down on her paws. "Sleep well, little ones."

* * *

The overcast sky kept the day from being too hot, though the air that blew in from the south-west was warm and humid which made her fur feel sticky against her skin. Jay loped over the wind-blown hills, her tail steaming behind her and ears flat to her head. It was barely past dawn and her kits would grow tired of Amelia before too long, wondering where she had gone.

Amelia had only managed to find four cats last night, all of which had agreed to come learn more about this threat at the meeting and had promised to pass the word on to their family and friends. Jay hoped she could find more or else the decision would be made before they could even discussed it.

She paused at the crest of a hill, her eyes scanning the vale of pale green grass. There was fresh cat-scent in the air; tom, young, blood, mouse. The tom-cat had recently been hunting in the area. Although the wind made it difficult to track cat scent, the scent of mouse blood was easy enough to follow as she stood at the top of another hill and looked down at a short plain that was dotted with hawthorn, gorse, and heather.

Jay spied a yellow tail snaked out behind the green hawthorn bush, the tiny white petals trembling slightly. She vaguely wondered what kind of cat this was as she trotted loudly toward the bush- she didn't want to startle him.

As she rounded the corner of the bush she saw the tom standing defensively over a pile of small mouse bones, blood flecked on his muzzle as he stood ready to meet her. He was a burnished yellow with a white chest and paws, an ugly scar curved around his shoulder even though he could be no more then eight moons old.

His brown eyes glared at her, despite his defensive position, there was no fear in him. "Who are you?" he grumbled, his voice a little too high-pitched to be taken as a threat.

Jay purred and sat down, making herself seem smaller so that he would relax. "My name is Jay, what is yours?" she didn't use the silky, fake voice she had used with the Ivy Cats. She used the kind of tone she would with her peers, indicting that she wasn't going to belittle him for being so defensive even though he was younger than her.

The tom relaxed a little, lowering his hackles but keeping the space between them. "Adder," he answered shortly, eying her suspiciously, "What do you want?"

"From you? Nothing. Or perhaps, very little," Jay began, standing up again and looking at him seriously. "I don't know if you're aware, but last moon Python attacked the Ivy Cats, the Ivy Cats had the aid of the cats who guarded the Mountain Pass."

"What does that have to do with me?" Adder growled, his pelt twitching in irritation as if flicking off a fly.

"Lots, both sides were defeated by a third party," Jay mewed. Adder's ears pricked as she continued. "This third party call themselves the 'StarReaders' and they forced the defeated cats to join their ranks. When Python protested, he was killed."

Adder flinched, looking at her with wide eyes, "No way," he murmured, dropping his eyes and for a moment Jay thought she saw a flash of pain in his eyes.

"The StarReaders have declared that they will force every cat in the valley to either join them or leave. My friend and I are telling as many cats left in the valley to see if we can try to band together and survive this threat. There will be a meeting in four more sunrises at the Eagle Tree at dusk."

Adder frowned, scanning her eager expression carefully. "I'll go," he mewed slowly, "But I'm not agreeing to anything just yet. I like to work alone," he added.

"I'm not asking you to," Jay dipped her head. "Now I have to be off, oh, if you have any friends or family, could you tell them about it?" she added, looking over her shoulder.

"I don't have any," Adder growled, looking defensive again.

Jay only nodded once and headed off again. She managed to find three more cats, all of them started off wary but then relaxed and expressed concern over the situation- agreeing to tell those they knew and to come to the meeting.

The last cat Jay met was a little troublesome. "But if you do nothing, all on your own, you may be killed!" she argued, feeling hot and flustered.

The stubborn old tom sniffed, "I've lived for more moons then you've seen in this valley; no one's ever hurt me none," he rasped, his yellow eyes glaring out from the dark tree trunk he used as a den.

"It won't hurt you to come and listen," Jay pleaded, wondering how much time she had wasted trying to reason with this senile coot. But in this situation, any and every cat was a valuable asset. She tried one more time as he grumbled threats at her.

"If you come, I promise to hunt for you and groom your fur," she offered.

The old tom's eyes lit up and he inched his muzzle out of the gloom, a curly mess of black fur surrounded an opening mouth that exhibited broken and missing teeth. Jay could smell the rank stench and the foul breath from where she stood and she wondered if he was worth so much effort.

"I think I'll take you up on that offer," he purred- a harsh, growling sound.

Jay forced herself not to shrink back, "I'll see you then," she mewed, not wishing to ask him anything more and keeping her voice carefully polite, trying not to show her relief as she padded away. She was at the woods of the western mountains; there was no where left to go except where Midnight's den was.

She had debated whether it was necessary to tell the she-cat since Midnight's den was the most remote and she doubted that neither the elders nor Midnight- with her new kits- would be much help. And yet, she was curious to see the black cat again and keeping her updated on the news wouldn't hurt anything.

The sky had lightened so that the outline of the sun could be seen behind the clouds and the clouds- torn apart by the breeze- sometimes allowed a few golden rays to stream through like glittering mist. The lushness of the grass had worn off and it lashed her legs and chest sharply, Jay had to narrow her eyes against the dust that the wind carried off the top of the mountain slopes.

She soon reached the base of the western mountain, the mountain where she'd looked upon the valley for the first time more then two moons ago. But now was no time for nostalgia, her kits would be getting hungry and they couldn't eat hard food yet.

The slope was ridged horizontally up the mountain and Jay found the bank where Midnight and the elders lived. She pricked her ears as she approached it, the slab of stone which provided the roof for the dugout prevented her from seeing the other side, but she could hear soft voices up ahead.

Bounding the last few lengths, she paused with one paw elevated on the top of the stone, her faint shadow cast down on the cats beneath her. There were a few startled squeaks but Midnight's voice spoke over them, a warm, welcoming tone, "Hello Jay, I was wondering when you would visit."

The dark gray she-cat dipped her head, "I'm sorry to disturb you," she apologized, leaping down as three tiny shadows hid themselves behind Midnight's fluffy flank. Jay looked at them curiously, "Are those your kits?"

The black she-cat nodded and purred, turning to her kits and encouraging them with soft murmurs, "It's alright, she is a friend of mommy." The first kit stepped out boldly, head and tail up and meeting Jay's eyes with timid defiance.

Another kit slowly followed its littermate, its eyes flicking tentatively between Midnight and Jay. The last kit had to be prodded by Midnight to stand between her paws and there it buried its little nose in its paws. Jay purred, now being able to appreciate kits in a way she hadn't before. "They're all so precious," she murmured, looking softly upon the three, "You must be proud."

"I am," Midnight mewed, "And very happy," she added. "This one," she pointed to the one between her paws, "Is a little timid around strangers, but she's a bundle of energy with her littermates," Midnight purred. There were two she-kits and a tom, the opposite of what she had, Jay noted.

The kit who had first stepped out was a long-furred, pale, gray brindle tabby she-cat with pale blue eyes. The one that stood next to her, keeping his eyes on both his mother and the stranger, was a skinny-looking brown tom with subdued ginger stripes and amber eyes.

The one nestled between Midnight's paws with her paws over her head and her eyes closed tight was black in color, but with a shorter pelt than her mother. "The gray one is Breeze, the brown one is Rusty- he looks a bit like Stretch, doesn't he?- and the black one is Panther."

"Panther!" Jay mewed, "That's a fierce name," she purred, finding it ironic that the most timid kit had the most powerful name.

"She may seem timid, but she's strong in her own way," Midnight defended her kit who snuggled deeper into her fur.

Jay dipped her head, knowing well how defensive a mother could be over her kit. "I wouldn't doubt it. And although I wish that I'd only come here to see your kits, I'm afraid something else brings me. Where are the elders?" she asked, peering into the dugout but not seeing anything in the gloom, nor scenting or hearing anything from the den.

"They went out to some rocks to sit and talk in comfort," Midnight explained, "It's been a bit... difficult for them, living with three kits at their age."

Jay nodded her head in understanding, "Well, you can tell them when they come back," she mewed, turning serious. "About a moon ago Python launched his attack against the Ivy Cats."

"What, really? First I'm hearing of it," Midnight mewed, eyes wide and ears at attention. After a moment she continued, more pensively, "How did it go?"

"Not well," Jay admitted, lowering her head, "For any cat. The Ivy cats had the aid of the young group that was controlling the Mountain Pass so the battle was pretty even. But at the end another group of cats, the 'StarReaders' showed up and defeated the cats without lifting a paw- since they were already nearly keeling over in exhaustion. Python resisted them but he was killed," Jay mewed, allowing a pause of respect.

Midnight's eyes were saddened and her kits gave offered her comforting mews as they sensed her distress. "Well, what now? Have these 'StarReaders' won, then? And if so, what does that mean for us?" she asked, brushing off her sadness and looking at her kits with concern- they stared back with large, trusting eyes.

Jay sighed, "They've declared that every cat in the valley will either have to join them or will be driven out. Amelia and I are gathering all the remaining cats for a meeting at Eagle Tree in four days, you're invited of course, but I bet your kits are more important. I can come here afterward and tell you what happens," she offered, wondering afterward why she'd done something so impulsively when she was loathe to leave her own kits for such a long time.

Midnight frowned, "I'll be there," she promised.

Jay's fur prickled with surprise, "Who will watch your kits?"

"Who will watch yours?" Midnight retorted.

Jay shifted her paws, "I was going to bring them."

"Then I'll do that to," Midnight mewed, sitting back with satisfaction, "I bet my mother, Pummel, and Stretch will want to come as well."

"Alright," Jay mewed, dipping her head and starting to back away, more eager to get back to her kits after seeing Midnight's. "Then at dusk in four sunrises we'll all come together and decide whether to fight or to flee."

She turned and started running, focused on returning to her kits. But she fancied that she heard Midnight's quiet voice even with the wind in her ears. "Fight, flee, or fuse."


	23. The Eagle Tree

The day of the meeting dawned with a brisk rain. A cool breeze blew down from the north mountain and the the shower chilled the valley. But the squall passed quickly, and by sun-high the sun had broken through the clouds and was drying out the valley.

Jay and Amelia set out for Eagle Tree as soon as the rain stopped, carrying the kits with them. One of the kits rode on their shoulders, tiny claws dug into their fur as the kits clung happily to their backs. Jay and Amelia took turns carrying the odd kit out, making sure the kits took turns being carried by the scruff so that they could have fun riding on the grown cats' backs.

The grass was slick and the dirt had turned into a sucking mud which they had to pull their paws out of with effort. The trip to Eagle Tree took the better half of the morning and they reached the barren spot not long after sun-high had passed.

In the dark shadow of the southern mountain stood the Eagle Tree, all alone upon a mound of drying mud and dead grass. The old branches creaked as they bent and bowed in the breeze while the abandoned nests rustled precariously at the top.

The kits jumped to the ground and started running around as soon as they stopped, discovering the joys of kicking up mud with their paws. Jay watched them romp and play with the hope that they would sleep through the meeting so as not to cause a ruckus, "Don't get too messy!" she called to them as they started flinging mud at each other. But they proceeded as if they hadn't heard her, though she knew they had.

Jay turned to Amelia, "Let's get set-up," she mewed.

Amelia growled, "Aren't they just coming for the talk? Why do we have to hunt for them?"

"Cats will be more agreeable on a full stomach and this will show that we're serious. Plus, some of them have to travel quite a ways to get here, they will appreciate it," Jay mewed lightly, capturing their stomachs was a quick way to capture their hearts.

"I don't care about their appreciation," Amelia sniffed.

Jay glared at her, "But we want their cooperation!" Amelia snorted again and looked away. They spent the afternoon taking turns hunting and watching the kits until they had enough to feed a Clan. It was almost dusk and the ground was finally dried, so Jay decided it was time to wash her kits.

The three rascals had spent the day exploring the new area, poking their curious noses into every hole and crevice. They had muddy grass clumped in their fur, burrs stuck in their pelts, and old eagle leaves stuck to them. Jay needed Amelia's help to get them all washed up in time- a duty Amelia had been able to avoid beforehand but couldn't get around now.

"What will the other cats think if they come and are greeted by these three? They'd be frightened out of their minds!" So the kits were cleaned and after they were done they stood in a line before Jay for inspection. The dark gray she-cat scrutinized them and picked out a bit of dandelion fluff behind Flint's ear, but that was it and she approved of them.

"Now, when the meeting begins you have to be quiet and not disrupt any cat, this is a very important meeting. Amelia is going to watch you a little bit away from here, but I'll be nearby in case anything happens," Jay mewed, nosing them gently before sending them away with Amelia.

She and the black she-cat had agreed that only she would be present at the meeting. Since Amelia had found her cats at night, it was unlikely they had gotten a good look at her and Jay wanted Amelia to be able to continue working in the dark without unnecessary obstacles such as cats knowing who she was and who she was with.

When her kits were safely out of sight behind a big heather bush, Jay positioned herself on one of the twisted roots of the Eagle Tree where she had a view of the surrounding landscape on all sides except the steep mountain side behind her. The wind blew to her from the north so that even the scents flowed to her over the low hills.

The first cats to appear were strangers to her, an orange and white she-cat accompanied by a steel gray tom who had a flash of white on his chest. Jay nodded at them and stood to greet them, "Welcome, my name is Jay," she mewed, dipping her head as they paused at the bottom of the mound below her.

They looked up at her and exchanged a glance before the orange and white she-cat looked at her again, "Hello, my friend asked me to come to this meeting. He said that you would tell us more about these 'StarReaders'?" The she-cat asked hesitantly.

Jay nodded enthusiastically, "Yes, I'll tell you all that I know about these cats and hopefully we can come to an understanding of what needs to be done." Jay preferred to remain vague until she had the cats' support.

The two cats milled about at the bottom of the hill, finally laying down on a dry patch of soft grass. The she-cat, whose name was Daisy, laid on her belly and the tom, whose name she later learned was Snip, sat next to her, eyes half-closed as he curled his tail over his paws.

Soon, more cats arrived and a group of skittish, quietly murmuring cats formed. Jay invited them to take some prey and none seemed hesitant to take her up on her offer, although others went off to catch their own. She nodded at Adder when he arrived and sat at the back of the gathering and she winced when the old black tom arrived, curled fur messy and stinky as he sat at the edge and glared at any cat that approached him.

Jay brought him a soft-looking mouse and he eyed it suspiciously as he took it and took a small bite, soon gulping it down and shooing her away without a 'thank you.' Jay, who had already been well conditioned by ill-tempered elders, didn't bat an eye and simply nodded and went among the cats, chattering politely and making sure every cat was as comfortable as possible.

Most of the cats seemed awkward about being by such a big group of strangers and most kept to talking quietly with cats they already knew. Jay, however, was used to gatherings ten times this size and talked easily to the cats and put them at ease.

There were about thirteen cats gathered, not counting herself. It was more then she had expected, but less then what she'd hoped for. Although, Midnight and her family hadn't yet arrived; She wondered if the black queen had changed her mind and debated whether she should start the meeting without her. Dusk was passing into twilight and the last crescent of sun was fading behind the west mountain.

Her eyes alighted on a few gray figures approaching from the west and she raced out to meet them, greeting Midnight friendly and purring as her kits his themselves behind her fur. But Breeze recognized her and stepped out after a moment and so did Rusty, giving her hesitant nods.

But little Panther stayed in her mother's fur and shivered, her eyes scrunched tight and her body curled up. "My mother will watch the kits away from the group while we listen to the meeting," Midnight mewed, settling her kits down on a clump of clover close enough to the group to hear the murmurs but far enough away that the words weren't audible.

Crystal curled her fluffy tail around her kits, her blue eyes looking down on them lovingly. Pummel and Stretch headed toward the group with an air of determined leisure. She waited for Midnight as the she-cat gave a few more words to her kits.

"Now, you be good for Crystal and don't cause any fuss. Mommy is going to be nearby so don't worry. I won't be long dears, so just play and have fun," Midnight purred. The kits looked at her sadly as she turned away, and for the first time Panther jumped up, eyes opening wide as she put her tiny paws on Crystal's wall of a tail and looked after her mother.

Jay froze as she saw Panther's eyes. Those wide gray eyes, hazy like fog- she shuddered involuntarily and turned away quickly. "Something wrong?" Midnight asked as she walked briskly away.

"No, nothing," Jay lied, not looking back. It was true something was very wrong- though in a way, it didn't even matter. She just hadn't expected, hadn't been prepared, for the surprise that Panther had Ash's eyes, copied so perfectly that there could be no doubt now of who the missing father was.

Once they arrived back at the group, Jay spent a little time talking with Midnight as the black she-cat sat and ate a vole that Jay brought her. The gray she-cat saw Pummel bring a piece of prey to Crystal as well and she relaxed. "I'll start the meeting soon. I hope we can all come to an agreement," Jay mewed.

Midnight shrugged, "Honestly, I'm surprised you got so many cats to come at all. All these cats like to keep to themselves, that's why they didn't join Python or the mountain pass cats. So I guess anything is possible."

With that little bit of encouragement, Jay grabbed hold of her mettle and bounded to the top of the mound and stood at the base of the Eagle Tree. Using a caterwaul to silence the little bit of noise below, the cats turned toward her with a mixture of wariness and interest.

Jay cleared her throat, not nervous, but a little uncomfortable with so many strange eyes upon her. "You all know why we are here, to discuss what should be done to protect ourselves against these StarReaders now that Python, the Ivy Cats, and the Mountain Pass Cats have been defeated," Jay started, waiting for the cats to give nods of acknowledgment.

"Who are they, exactly? Where did they come from and what is their goal?" a voice called out from among the group.

"They were a group of cats- not terribly numerous- that lived in the north-eastern mountains. I don't know who they are- besides that the leader is a white she-cat named Blanche, she is also blind- and their goal seems to be to conquer every cat in the valley by driving them out or forcing them to join their ranks- as they did with Python's cats, the Ivy Cats, and the young ones that were guarding the Mountain Pass."

"In the face of such aggressions and declarations, we cannot sit idly until they come for us. We must choose to either fight or flee and we must do it together," Jay mewed gravely, staring out at the numerous faces.

"Or join them," a soft voice spoke up. Jay turned her head to look at the soft brown tabby she-cat that stood calmly, green eyes fixed on her. "You said their goal is to either drive us from our homes and make us join them. I don't think we have much chance in a fight if they already took down the three most powerful groups in the valley and absorbed their strength," the tabby shrugged and looked around slowly at the mountainside. "This valley has been my home for all my life, I don't think I could leave either."

A couple cats murmured their agreement and Jay felt disconcerted. She hadn't considered that any cat would want to join the StarReaders. Her heartbeat quickened, if even some of the cats decided to go join the StarReaders, there would not be enough to even put up a feeble resistance. She had to convince them not to join or it was all over and she'd have to figure out something else.

"And it might not even be so bad," the steel gray tom that had arrived first with the orange and white tabby stood up. "If the three strongest forces in the valley haven't revolted yet, then it must not be too bad."

More voices chorused agreement. "Well _I_ think you're all idiots," a voice cried. Jay looked frustratingly around at a dainty looking tawny tortoiseshell she-cat who sat apart from the group, her fluffy tail curled elegantly over her paws and her eyes slanted downward upon the group of cats.

A few cats growled but most ignored the tortoiseshell she-cat as they continued chattering amongst themselves. Jay felt like she had completely lost grasp on the meeting. She took a deep breath, she would have to refute these ideas directly and pull it along the way she wanted it to go.

"Snip, Moss," Jay turned to the two cats who were most outspoken over the idea of joining the StarReaders. "I understand your reasoning but can't you see that by joining them we'd be doing exactly what they want? And I don't think you actually want to join them, you would rather keep the life you already have."

Moss walked closer to the Eagle Tree, her front paws standing on the mound, her soft green eyes suddenly intense. "Yes, but you didn't invite us all here with the purpose of keeping our lives the way they are. You want our help because you think it will help protect us. Well, thank you for your concern, but none of us asked you to do that," Moss mewed with rigid politeness.

Jay was taken even more aback, but she could not show it. She pleaded again, "You want to remain in this valley, right? Then why not fight for it instead of giving yourself over to these cats who will determine the rest of your life?"

Moss's eyes sparked impatiently, "Why die over a few bushes and a clump of grass?" More voices rose in support.

Jay turned to Snip who had moved forward as well, his eyes looking stirred by Moss's words. "You conjectured that the cats the StarReaders were happy because they haven't made a revolt. But what if their kits are being held hostage? or they're half starved? or any pretense of revolt results in death? There could be many reasons why they haven't rebelled, and not many are good."

"Have you seen those cats then?" Snip asked.

Jay shook her head, it wasn't a lie, she hadn't seen them. "But we cannot just suppose that they are being treated well."

Snip dipped his head, "And there's no reason to suppose that they are being treated ill."

Jay felt a flare of rage in her belly, she could see it in their eyes. They had never had to fight hard for anything. They kept to their own little world and avoided conflict at all costs. They'd never seen cruelty, they'd never seen death, not in the way she had.

"And where do you even get off trying to force a decision upon us," the tortoiseshell she-cat spoke up again, angry brown eyes fixed on Jay. "We can do whatever we want and do it alone if we wish. You make it sound like these are our only options."

Jay held back a hiss, "These are our only options if we want to survive and not lose everything," she insisted.

"No," the tortoiseshell cut in coldly, "These are your only options. I don't know about the rest of you here, but I'm not about to risk my life or my home for some other cat."

The tortoiseshell she-cat stood up and walked away, tail whisking over the top of the grass. All the cats watched her go and a few more scampered off, apparently done with the meeting. Moss looked back at her, "I'm sorry if you were betting something on this, but I intend to stay at my home and live as usual. If these cats show up, I'll go with them quietly." She left with a few more as well.

Now only a handful of cats remained. Snip, Daisy, Midnight, Pummel, Stretch, the old black elder Jay had invited, and Adder. They stood in silence for a moment longer as Jay felt herself reeling from her total failure.

"Look," Snip mewed in a low voice, glancing up at her apologetically, "I think your ideas were good, but it just isn't practical. None of the cats here are comfortable being with two or more cats that they don't know. Working as a group would have been impossible even if they had agreed on something to do."

"What are you going to do?" Jay asked.

Snip let out a long breath, shaking his whiskers. "I wasn't born in the valley, I was born in another, a smaller one, about a day's journey away. If things get messy, I'll go back there. That is," he glanced at the she-cat at his side, "Daisy and I will."

Jay didn't need an announcement to tell her the two were new mates, the fresh blossom of love was still glowing in their eyes. But she still felt cold and sick, "Best of luck," she mewed as they headed off.

Adder glanced up at her and without a word bounded off into the darkness too- night having arrived long ago. The moonlight glowed on Midnight's black fur as she shook her head and sighed, "I think I'll be safe on the mountain-slope, but what about you?"

Jay shrugged, "I'll think of something else, don't worry about it, just need to figure out what to do next," she mewed, not wanting the she-cat to mettle.

"How about starting by cleaning my pelt?" the old tom grumbled, "You promised me that for coming."

Jay shuddered inwardly, "You're absolutely right," she mewed with forced cheerfulness. "I'll be right there."

* * *

After Jay got the cankerous old tom down for the night, her tongue was dead from exhaustion and disgust, but his long fur lay flat and shone almost like that of a younger cat. Amelia returned briefly to give over her whiny, tired kits which she fed and then curled around as they fell asleep.

It was moon-high and since the sky was clear, there was no use going home when they were all so exhausted. Midnight had returned to her own kits awhile a go and the three elders slept in a heap nearby the black queen.

But even the sweet night air and the figures of her cherubic kits could not comfort Jay. She had failed, utterly and completely. There wasn't a cat left in the valley willing to risk their lives or homes to stop these cats. What could she possibly do on her own? What were her chances of winning? Absolutely none.

Jay sighed and looked up at the sky, the immense blackness seemed to swallow the stars and the moon's light seemed not to spread to the rest of the sky, hanging there, cold and lonely. She supposed she should leave the valley, cut her losses and go. She still had time, with Amelia's help she and the kits could leave this valley, taking the now open mountain pass to travel safely outside the mountains before leaf-bare hit.

And yet, her whole mind and body revolted against such an idea. She couldn't imagine herself spending a single night in the damp, moldy leafy forest at the base of the mountains. She would go crazy living there, even with her kits for solicitude.

But was she willing to risk her kits lives and freedom in the valley? The StarReaders were no doubt capable of dangerous things and their ways were still full of mystery to Jay. Nothing could be done about it as this moment, she laid her head on her paws and tried to sleep. But her eyes were full of shadows and sleep would not come.

By morning she felt stiff with damp cold as the dew settled over her. Her tail kept her kits fairly dry and she saw that there was still a few pieces of prey left over from the day before. As her kits nursed she gnawed on a stiff shrew, eyes heavy with exhaustion and anxiety.

"Mom, are we going home today?" Flint asked, eyes bright as he bounced in front of her.

"Of course we are, mouse-brain," Ice snorted, licking her paw delicately and washing her face. "Mom said so yesterday that we'd only stay out one night, isn't that right?" her blue-gray daughter turned toward her, eyes wide and serious.

Jay chuckled and cuffed her affectionately over her ears, "Yes, that's right. But don't insult your brother," she chided. Ice nodded and started poking Hail who had gone back to sleep after nursing.

"Come on, its morning, you don't need to sleep anymore," Ice growled, prodding her twin with more vigor.

Hail kicked out at his tormentor and mumbled something, rolling over and covering his face with his paws. "Let him rest a while longer, we have a long way to go to get back today," Jay mewed and then froze. Why should they go back home? It was right on the border, it wasn't safe to stay there only to wait and see what happened to them.

The thought of not returning to the domed green den was nearly physically painful, but at the same time, the pain was distant, as if it mattered little. Still, she wasn't ready to leave the mountains like this, but they should pick a home further away from the border, maybe even outside of the valley but near enough to keep an eye on things...

Jay had an idea, an idea so good she wondered why she hadn't thought of it before. "Actually, we're going to go to a new home," she mewed, crouching down to be eye-level with her kits, a mischievous look on her face that caused her two conscious kits to giggle and wave their tails in anticipation.

"Where is it?! Is it that huckleberry bush? Or maybe the haunted hollow?" Ice guessed, fidgeting with a look of wonder on her face.

Jay purred and shook her head, "Nope! Even better, it is a super secret hide-out that no one knows of!" _Well, that's not true. But for all intents and purposes, it may as well be._

The kits squealed and started grappling each other in a play-fight out of sheer delight. Jay purred at them and noticed Amelia approaching from a distance. She stood and greeted the black she-cat, "Where were you?" Jay asked.

"Getting some peace and quiet," she growled, glaring at the two squealing kits. "Hail's my favorite," she added, nodding at the still-sleeping kit. "But I'm curious, where is that oh-so-secret hideout that we're moving to?"

Jay smirked, "I'm sure you could guess. Though, I also suppose you haven't been there yet. Ah, well, you'll see soon enough. Get some food while I bid goodbye to Midnight and her family," she mewed. She ordered her kits to behave themselves, which they responded to by jumping on their sleeping brother to yell at him that he had to be good too.

The black she-cat was grooming her three kits while the elders caught a bit more sleep. "Good morning," Jay mewed cheerfully.

Midnight glanced at her in surprise, "You seem happier then I would have expected you to be, considering the circumstances."

Jay waved her tail, "I assure you, this was not my only plan. Unfortunately, though, it does mean I will have to leave my den for now. It is too close to the border to be safe."

Midnight's ears pricked, "Where will you go?" Excitedly she added, "If you want, I can help you build a den by mine."

Jay shook her head, "No, I wouldn't want to impose upon you. Besides, I've been over that hillside before, there aren't too many good places for a den and the hunting isn't terribly rich."

Midnight looked a little disappointed but didn't push it, wishing her luck and expressing her wish for them to meet again when their kits were a little older. Jay dipped her head and wished her friends goodbye before returning to her kits which Amelia was growling at to stay still, but the little kits were too fidgety and would get up and shuffle places when Amelia wasn't looking.

Jay purred as she approached, "Alright! Let's head out!" she mewed energetically, high-stepping with her muzzle pointed toward the eastern mountains. They started out enthusiastically but with the kits they couldn't make incredible progress, getting to the more marshy land past sun-high.

"I'm tired," Flint complained, dragging his paws as he plodded forward besides her. Jay glanced at Ice who hung limply from Amelia's mouth, sleeping even with the constant swinging. Hail was in her own mouth, as it was Flint's turn to walk a bit.

Jay wished she didn't have to force her kits to travel two long days in a row, but she wouldn't even put Flint back up on her shoulders for fear he would fall asleep, fall off, and thereby get seriously injured. She put the sleeping Hail down on a dry piece of grass, "Let's take a little break," she decided. _These kits are going to need it, the harder part is still up ahead._

Jay gave her kits a quick nurse and then they fell asleep, their tiny bodies too tired to purr as they basked in the sunshine. Jay's own belly was growling but she dared not leave her kits alone while they slept for fear of snakes, hawks, or other predators.

Instead she dosed, having not had any sleep the night before and become drowsy by the soft breeze and warm sun. "Here," Amelia's voice was accompanied by a thump and Jay opened her eyes to see a plump mouse at her paws, the succulent scent wetting her appetite.

"Oh, thanks. I didn't know you had gone to hunt," Jay mewed, ripping into the meal with gusto.

"I was hungry and I figured you would be too after carrying your little furballs all day," Amelia yawned, laying down and rolling on her back, scratching her head against the ground, eyes narrowed against the sun. "So I'm going to take a guess at where we're going. Python's old camp, right?"

Jay nodded, "We'll be safe there and we can easily keep an eye on the valley, I'm hopeful that something will be done about the StarReaders and we can return later when the kits are a little older," Jay mewed, still disconcerted that she had to leave her soft nest and warm den behind.

Amelia shrugged and when they had finished eating they woke the kits. Since they were more awake now, Jay carried one on her back and held another by the scruff and Amelia brought up the rear with the last kit. Jay was in a hurry to get to the hideout before dark so that they wouldn't be surprised by anything in the dark.

She felt a hint of nostalgia as they started up the mountain path, she remembered not too long ago when she had climbed this with her belly full of kits as she cozied up to Python and his cats. Looking back at it now, it was all a waste of time.

They climbed the mountain while the sun descended the sky, reaching the tunnel as the orange light of the setting sun glowed upon the eastern mountain. Down in the valley the shadows were already long and a bit of fog hung about the woods.

"Alright kits, we can't carry you in the tunnels so you're going to have to walk," Jay mewed, putting down Flint who she had been carrying by the scruff and grabbed Hail, who had nearly fallen asleep on her back. Luckily, as none of them had walked up the mountain, they were rejuvenated and walked contentedly into the black tunnels after their mother.

Jay worried about losing them one of the small side tunnels and constantly was checking for their scents and calling to them. The tunnel seemed shorter this time now that she knew her kits lives weren't in danger and she happily crawled ahead when she saw the light at the end of the tunnel.

Jumping out, she quickly checked that the area was safe by way of scent and hearing, and turned back to the tunnel, "Come on, kits! Our new home is right here!" She called and heard their excited squeals as they scampered the last lengths and tumbled out of the tunnel, looking upon the thick green foliage and sandy path with novel eyes.

"Come on!" Jay encouraged, leading them down the path toward where she knew the camp had been. She was carefully alert, scenting the edge and watching the thick surroundings suspiciously. Amelia had already circled around, scouting out the area while Jay brought her kits right down the middle path.

The foliage thinned and in the shadow of the mountain the camp dwelt quietly. The camp was a clearing of white sand with three piles of sandy-colored rocks that created dens somewhere within them. Her kits squealed and started running around, spraying each other accidentally with sand and then starting to spray each other purposefully with sand.

Jay approached Amelia who appeared at the other end of the camp, "Find anything?" she asked quietly.

The black she-cat glanced at her and then at her kits, "Look here," the black she-cat mewed, leading her around behind one of the stone dens. The little rivet of water ran behind it, making the sand damp and impressionable. "There's someone else here," Amelia growled and Jay felt her mind darken.

In the sand, carefully carved, was a single pawprint. And it was fresh or the water would have already washed it away. So there was someone else here in this area where she was, where Amelia was, where her kits were. But not for much longer.


	24. Pawprints

Low clouds drifted around the mountain tops as night crept closer, the last dim beams of light smothered by the low ceiling. The gray shadows lengthened on the eastern mountainside and the thick foliage cast darker shadows across the ground. Jay looked at the pawprint in apprehension, a fierce determination and fear battling within her for a few moments before clarity blew through.

She glanced up at Amelia to find the she-cat already watching her with a steady eye. "You go watch my kits, I'll track down this cat," Jay ordered shortly.

"Whoa! Not happening," the black she-cat interjected, waving her tail wildly in annoyance. "You watch your little furballs and I'll find this cat."

Jay didn't respond, irked at having her orders refuted and unable to project a coherent sentence for a few moments. "I want to handle this myself," Jay growled, keeping her eyes locked on the black murderess.

"No one cares about that, certainly not me," Amelia snapped, "However you look at it, I have far superior tracking skills and you'll be far more effective at protecting your own kits then I would should it be necessary. Who knows, I may even use the forest-rats as bait."

Jay knew Amelia wouldn't dare do something like that, but after taking a few deep breaths that calmed her anxiety she nodded curtly. "Fine, but if you haven't found anything by moon-high, I take over the task." The black she-cat gave an agreeable answer and then headed out into the shadows of the strange territory while Jay turned and walked around the pile of rocks that had separated the two of them from the middle of camp.

Ice was leading her brothers in an expedition around the camp, sniffing at the entrances of the rock dens and pawing at an odd piece of grass that had grown through the sand. Hail spotted her first and raced over to her, "Mom, Ice kept kicking sand in my eyes," he complained, glaring at his sister who turned her back on him with her nose in the air.

"Ice, come here," Jay ordered sternly, seeing that Hail's face was full of gritty sand that must be uncomfortable.

The blue gray kit didn't move for a moment but as the silence lengthened she slowly turned and reluctantly padded over to stand in front of Jay, her green eyes vibrantly defiant. Jay flicked her lightly over the ears with her tail, "I want you to now clean every bit of sand from your brother's face and I want all of you," she looked at all her kits now, "To be more careful in the future about what you fling at each other. You could blind each other if you get too much mud or sand in your eyes."

Her kits looked at each other solemnly, the didn't really know the meaning of blindness since they couldn't imagine not seeing anything, but they understood that a blind cat couldn't do what other cats did. "Now, I know you've had time to search this hideout over well enough, but for now, I want you to stay right here," Jay mewed, drawing a large circle in the sand around them. "And we're going to play a game."

"What sort of game?" Flint asked excitedly, his little ears twitching.

"A game called 'lookout.'"

"Is it fun?" Hail asked, staring at his siblings with reserve.

Jay nodded her head, "Oh, yes, very fun. The rules are very simple. You have to stay inside the circle and the three of you can't let anything cross the line."

"That doesn't sound fun," Ice muttered crossly, using her tiny paws to shake out the loose sand on Hail's face before she started using her tongue to awkwardly washing his face. "Quit moving," she hissed as he shrunk away from her efforts.

"You're being rough," Hail protested, pushing his sister away.

Jay ignored them as they started tussling in the sand together until Ice came out on top, quickly washing her brother's face with as rough of strokes as she cared. "Also, you have to watch the edges of the hideout from the circle, if something manages to creep up on you without you spotting it, you lose," Jay mewed. _And dead._

"So we have to try to be the first one to spot anything weird?" Flint asked, catching on.

Jay nodded approvingly, "Absolutely. The last one to stay awake, or the first one to see something weird, wins the game."

"That still sounds boring," Ice mewed, jumping off her brother, task complete. "Nothing will happen so we'll just be standing here staring into the darkness until we fall asleep," she muttered, not noticing Hail's indignant glare as he used his paw to smooth his fur back to the way it was.

"You will be helping me a lot if you do this," Jay mewed. The two solid gray kits exchanged glances and then gave in, letting themselves get caught up in the excitement as they chased each other around the perimeter of the circle, arguing in shrill voices who would be the first to find an intruder.

Jay kept her senses on high alert as she strained her ears until they ached and paced until her tired paws had packed the sand down beneath her. She couldn't even be sure of how many cats were here, as there was no scent but sand and stone in the camp and the pawprint hadn't given away anything but an extremely faint cat scent- probably because of the water splashing across it. For all she knew, it could have only been a passing loner, but better safe than sorry.

She flexed her claws against the sand and looked up at the sky. The moon was hidden by the mountain peak that loomed over them, but even with that massive structure she felt oddly exposed. The stars were too large, the sky too black as the clouds hid whole patches of sky from view.

The uncomfortable thought of StarClan arose and she couldn't help but wonder if her ancestors could see her now. Of course, she didn't know any cat personally who had died, her parents and brothers- for all she knew- were alive and well. But she wondered if Thyme watched her, or if she had even gone to StarClan or a place similar to it.

Jay looked down at her kits, they had tired of running around and now were slouched against each other in the middle of the circle, struggling to keep their eyes open and their ears pricked. She wished Thyme could have seen her kits, she was sure the gray she-cat would have been delighted.

 _But if she hadn't died then, she would have just gotten captured by the StarReaders and then I probably would have tried to save her and gotten myself killed in the process_. She wrapped her tail around her kits, they were all that was precious to her now. Even her lukewarm friendship with Midnight wouldn't be enough for her to risk her kits. _I know now how precious kits are._

Jay purred lightly and curled herself around her kits as they drifted into sleep, encircled by her soft, warm fur. But she stayed wide awake, watching the darkened shadows with increased attention. Nothing stirred on the lush mountain side, the breeze flowed warm up from a valley down below and made the leaves tremble in a soft melody. The sleek stream flowed along with a faint whistle, no disturbance in its smooth flow.

A faint crunch of sand caught her attention and she tensed, turning her head to eye the darkness warily. She relaxed as Amelia stepped out into the soft starlight. "Did you find anything?" Jay demanded, Amelia's fur was perfectly smooth and her eyes calm. But for her, that was no indication if she had fought or not.

Amelia frowned, hurrying over to her and bending her head down close to Jay's. "I found the cat, but I think you better take care of it."

Jay hissed in annoyance, this after not allowing her to do it herself? "Just kill it or drive it away, I don't care!"

"You need to see that cat yourself, and now," Amelia insisted. After a bit more arguing Jay's curiosity convinced her to give in, though she was loathe to disturb her kits by moving.

"Can't it wait until morning?" she grumbled.

Amelia shook her head, "I'll watch over your kits, but you have to go now." Jay glared at the black she-cat, but since for once Amelia called her kits 'kits' instead of 'furballs' she knew the amber-eyed she- cat was being serious.

"Fine, but it had better be worth it," Jay mewed, untangling herself from her kits. They mewled in protest but Jay shushed them back to sleep. Amelia gave her instructions on how to find the cat and Jay set off hurriedly.

It was easy enough to follow Amelia's instructions, thanks to her scent trail, but in the darkness and in unfamiliar territory Jay had to be careful of sticks and rocks that could be invisibly strewn across her path. The trees and bushes stopped abruptly and changed to sloping rock with scattered boulders that she had to detour around or jump over, the edge of the mountain-side in sight most of the time and the steep drop made her wary.

The path took her to a more northern part of the mountainside, a bit higher in elevation than the camp but not too high. She was able to reach the place in less time than she had anticipated. Against the rise of the mountain there was a large rock den with a gaping black entrance that Amelia's scent lingered around.

This was, without a doubt, the place. Though the stench of infection and sickness overwhelmed the cat scent and every other scent. She flicked her tail irritably, "If the cat is so sick, we could just leave it to die," she grumbled. Jay was under no obligation to help a sick cat that was a potential threat.

Jay turned away, ready to return to her kits and give Amelia an earful. "Is something there?!" Jay froze as a rough, weak, but nonetheless sharp, voice called out of the den. She didn't freeze out of surprise or fear, but the voice sounded vaguely familiar.

"I was about to leave," she mewed loudly, glancing back at the entrance, half expecting to see a cat standing there, but it was still all dark.

"Then do it quickly," the cat growled. Now Jay was sure she had heard this voice before, it was female and had a surly touch. But no face appeared in Jay's mind. Curious, she padded closer to the entrance.

"Are you alone up here?" Jay asked.

"No, you're here too," the voice responded irritably. "But if you mean I'm living alone in this den, yes."

"You wouldn't happen to be the one that left a pawprint in the sandy camp that's a ways away, would you?" Jay asked. She nearly doubted that this was their cat if it was so sick.

"I went there the other day, what's it to you? And would you just leave!" the cat added, sounding exasperated at being pulled into a conversation.

"Sorry, but would you mind me asking your name?" Jay asked.

"You tell me yours first," the cat growled.

"It's Rose," Jay mewed, using her alias. As far as she knew, Amelia had only used the name to refer to her a pawfull of times and she'd never really used Amelia's except with Python's cats before she went to spy on the Ivy Cats. The names were no longer useful since they weren't dealing with any other cat right now, but it did come in handy now and again.

The cat was fooled, "I think I've heard of you before..." the voice murmured from the darkness and Jay thought she saw a gleam of blue eyes. "My name is Silver."

Jay was dumbstruck for a moment. Now she recognized this edgy voice and unpleasant attitude. This cat had caused her no end of trouble from when she had tried training her to when the she-cat's insistence had sent her on a life endangering mission.

She turned and walked away. "I knew it," Silver growled menacingly as she heard the retreating pawsteps. "You're with those rotten StarReaders, aren't you? Come back, coward!" The sound of shuffling steps made Jay look over her shoulder as the pale silver she-cat limped out of the den.

Her pretty fur was dirty and matted with dirt and dried blood. Her right foreleg dragged against the ground and Jay could smell several of her wounds were infected. Even from the distance of ten fox-lengths Jay imagined she could feel the pulsing heat from each wound and the fever that had overtaken the she-cat's body.

Jay was quiet as Silver screeched curses at her. The she-cat hadn't recognized her, whether it was from the dim light and shadows, her own pain, or her cloudy vision, Jay couldn't say. The she-cat, however, was overflowing with fury at her even though she was unaware of her true identity. She hobbled closer to her, "Fox-hearted, low-life-rat, stinking vulture food," the she-cat went on with the insults until she toppled over, her legs lacking the strength and she cried in pain as her leg hit the ground.

The she-cat spluttered with muffled sobs as she lay flat on the ground, unable to move, spitting out curses between her sobs. "I wish you would all just die," the pale tabby cried, eyes scrunched tight in pain.

Jay turned away again, nearly unaffected from what she had witnessed. But when the she-cat's cries cut out when she passed out- probably from a mix of pain, exhaustion, and strain of min- Jay found herself walking back toward the she-cat.

She stood over Silver and observed in what poor shape the cat was, wondering if it was the StarReaders that had done this. Thinking about it, the she-cat should have been captured by the StarReaders and these wounds were too fresh to have been from a moon ago if she had evaded capture.

"I guess that if I help you, you could help me," Jay murmured, running her paw over the wounds. Four infected areas. The wounds themselves didn't appear to be terribly deep or life-threatening, but the infection already had a hold over her body. It would be an uphill fight if the she-cat were ever to recover. _But I may lengthen her life enough that I can get any information I need out of her._

With that in mind, she sat down to work, her moon of training hadn't prepared her for quite this task, but she prayed for a bit of her mother's knowledge as she started working over Silver. The tabby she-cat's breathing was faint and quick as Jay ran her paws over the wounds again, delicately touching the soft, oozing flesh as heat pulsed under her paw-tips.

Jay looked around in the darkness for herbs, but the area was barren of anything but rocks. Nothing was growing here and she couldn't recall if she had seen any herbs back by the hideout. Saving the she-cat would be a challenge without any herbs.

For now, though, she was able to clean Silver's fur. It had grown dirty as the she-cat fell ill; oozing blood and puss had made her fur sticky which had gathered dirt to itself as if it were a magnet. This, undoubtedly, had worsened and spread the infection.

Jay spent a good portion of the night grooming the tabby's messy fur, her eyes scrunched up against the disgusting taste of dirt mixed with blood and infected puss. As the moon began to set, it appeared from behind the mountain peak and shed its brilliant light on Silver and Jay. The latter made good use of the extra light and surveyed the sick cat even closer.

The wounds looked better with the pelt cleaned, but the scabbed wounds were still yellow-green with puffy red flesh around them, cleaning them would not get rid of the infection. Jay spotted a few nicks that were not infected and those she took special care to clean, hoping to keep them free of infection.

Now she turned her eyes to the problem she had previously averted. The leg which Silver hadn't been able to walk on. Jay knew it wasn't broken, for it still bent at the joint, and she had seen this exact injury before...

She had been young, no more than four moons, playing with her brother innocently at the edge of the camp, the pools of snow-melt reflected the sunlight like glass and piles of half decomposed leaves were swept into the corners of the camp. The harmonic atmosphere had been interrupted by a caterwauling near the entrance as Coalpaw burst through the entrance, his eyes wide as he swung his head around.

Ignoring her, he raced toward Skypool's den where he met Boulderstar who calmly asked the frantic apprentice what was going on as a crowd of worried warriors created a crescent circle around the two. Jaykit crept to the back of the crowd, eying the two gray toms through the legs of dozens of cats. The dark gray apprentice had taken a few gulps of air before explaining that his mentor had fallen from a tree and couldn't move and that he had returned to get Skypool.

Boulderstar told him to lead the way back to where his mentor- Ravenwing- had fallen, and called to his mate, Scorch, since Skypool was out collecting herbs at the abandoned two-leg nest. A small patrol was quickly put together from the crowd of warriors and another two were dispatched to retrieve Skypool as the cats set out, agonizingly slow as Boulderstar led his blind mate by the tail.

Jaykit had watched her parents with narrow eyes, not caring that her mother hadn't said a word to her before leaving. She had nudged her brother, Rainkit, who was busy pulling the petals off of a daisy flower with absorbtion. Although he had mewed his dissent at her idea of following the patrol, Jaykit knew he enjoyed watching their mother work too much to miss out on the chance, and she had snuck solo out of camp through a hole she had made behind the nursery that their mother hadn't found and filled yet.

Rainkit, as planned, had followed before a few moments passed and it was easy enough for them to shadow the patrol since Rainkit was too pensive to talk and Jaykit was too excited to bother him. She had always loved the thrill of doing things she knew she wasn't supposed to do- it was an addictive adrenaline rush that she never bored of.

The patrol had reached a corpse of beach trees that were often used at the start of tree-training for apprentices because of their slanting, thick branches and low height. The cats gathered around the black she-cat who laid stretched out on the leaf-covered ground with her jaw clenched tight, a broken branch on the ground besides her.

The cats murmured a few things and Boulderstar and another warrior tried to lift her up but she cried out in pain and they didn't try to move her again, murmuring anxiously to Scorch. The small black and red queen calmly padded up to the fallen warrior, running her paw expertly over the leg, looking for breaks.

Rainkit leaned forward from their hiding place in a juniper bush, hungrily watching their mother work while Jaykit interested herself in drinking up all the sights and taking in the scents. "Her leg isn't broken," Rainkit murmured, a serious look on his face, "So what is wrong with her?"

"Who cares," Jaykit muttered, her eyes landing on a moth that was floating over a bunch of flowers two tail-lengths away, she felt the urge to leap at it, but she didn't want to expose herself to the group. That would be a bad idea.

"Have a little concern for your Clan-mate," Rainkit grumbled, giving her a confused glance. She knew he didn't understand her, but that didn't offend her.

"I am concerned! But I can't do anything to help her," Jaykit whispered.

"But- Oh, wait, mom's doing something," Rainkit mewed, returning his attention to their mother. Jaykit glanced back at Scorch as she took hold of Ravenwing's leg and two other cats grabbed Ravenwing firmly. Scorch pushed on the shoulder, hard, and there was a loud pop while Ravenwing screeched. Then the cats stood back.

Ravenwing caught her breath and tried to struggle up, wincing a little as her leg touched the ground, but she flexed it and tested it a few more times before taking a few wobbly steps. The cats mewed something about helping her back to camp and taking it easy for a few days and then with two cats supporting Ravenwing between them, they turned back to camp.

The two kits stayed perfectly still and Jaykit held her breath as Coalpaw paused and looked around the area, frowning. His eyes lingered on the juniper bush for a moment but he didn't say anything as he turned and trotted after the patrol.

"Let's get back to camp," Jaykit mewed, leading her brother away as he chatted about how efficiently their mother had cured Ravenwing and how incredible it was that she was already nearly walking again. Jaykit could only think about Coalpaw's sharp green eyes and how they had seemed to stare into her heart. She shivered, a thrill of exhilaration lightened her steps...

The memory had swept her away from the dark and chill mountainside for a moment- it tasted like the warm sun on a brisk new-leaf day. A nostalgic feeling came over her as she recalled her kit-hood and she returned to Silver's care with a touch of warmth.

The leg was dislocated, of that much she was sure. While the she-cat was sleeping was that best time to take care of it. However, she had never been taught anything about dislocations from the Ivy Cats so all the knowledge she had was from that one memory, and the half-forgotten babble of her brother.

But Silver wouldn't be able to walk if this wasn't fixed, or hardly move. And if she couldn't get that then the infection would get to her chest and she would die for sure. "Alright, this is going to be a new thing for both you and me," she muttered, forcing the nervousness from her voice and replacing it with cool confidence as she tentatively placed her paws on the shoulder, wondering it they were in the right place.

"On my count," she gritted her teeth as if she were the one who had the dislocated shoulder. "One, two... three," her paws froze and she didn't move, cursing at herself that she had given in to her doubt. She repositioned her paws again and firmed herself. This cat was practically her enemy, even if she didn't get it right, it didn't matter.

"I've got this," she breathed out to herself, taking a deep breath and focusing her eyes on her own paws, the slender paws that were softly pressed against Silver's right shoulder. Counting to three in her head she hissed and pushed down hard as she dared on the shoulder.

Silver released an ear-splitting screech but Jay triumphantly raised her tail as she heard a satisfying pop as the shoulder jerked back into place. "There!" Jay smirked proudly to herself as Silver trembled, her blue eyes wide as she stared blankly at the stone in front of her.

Intelligence flooded back into Silver's gaze as she snapped her attention to Jay, "You!" she hissed angrily and Jay knew she had recognized her.

"You're welcome," Jay purred as she ran her paws over the shoulder. Yep, it was as smooth as her own now.

"What did you do to me, you pile of fox-dung?!" Silver spat, struggling away from her, using her right shoulder as she stood up.

"Your shoulder was dislocated, so I went ahead and fixed it for you," Jay purred, not at all deterred by the she-cat's continued insults. On the contrary, it filled her with a bit of smug pride that she had been able to put aside their history to help Silver, but the ill cat couldn't do the same in order to thank her. _I guess we know who the real mature one is._

"Why would you do something like that? You want something from me?" the cat hissed, hostile blue eyes sending her lamentable glances.

Jay tilted her head to the side. "I suppose I do. But it is not of grave importance. No, not of any importance after all," she mewed after a moment. Even if she knew everything there was to know about the StarReaders, she was in no position to do anything with that information. Except, maybe, pass it on to Midnight.

"Then get out of here!" Silver hissed, arching her back and fluffing out her fur until she was nearly twice as large as Jay.

Although she doubted Silver had any scruples about attacking her, Jay also was well aware of what Silver's condition was. Even though her leg was back in place, it was nonetheless sore from being jarred both out of place and back into place. Not to mention the raging infection running rampant through her veins.

"I would still like your information, no matter how trivial it is," Jay continued, meeting the hot blue gaze with an air of detached ease. "And if you would like, I could treat your infected wounds. I don't know if you can be saved or if there are even any herbs I can use up here-"

"Why trouble yourself, then?" Silver interjected with a leer.

Jay's tail flicked behind her, "You have information about the enemy. Although my current plan is to simply avoid conflict, you can never be sure when you get in a difficult situation, so I'd rather prepare myself as best I can."

The tabby sniffed and turned around, limping back toward the cave, "I don't want your help and I don't want to help you."

Jay watched with narrowed eyes as the cat took trembling steps toward the den. She didn't move from her spot as the she-cat fell to the ground and, straining, got back to her paws and managed to make it the rest of the way before collapsing at the entrance.

She turned and left the silver she-cat be for a while. Silver was too weak to rebuff her help for much longer, and she was willing to wait for the tabby to swallow her pride and beg her for help. For now, she needed to find something, anything, she could use to fight infection. There was marigold, tormentil, horsetail, sweet-sedge... Those could treat the outer infection, but what about the inside infection?

Frowning, she returned to the hideout, checking on her kits who were still sleeping in the middle of the camp as the sun began to rise in the east. It rose like a blossoming flower above the dead, gray sweep of the mountains. The glare prompted her to look away and she felt a wave of exhaustion as she realized she hadn't slept all night.

"What do you think about her?" she hadn't noticed Amelia walk up to her but the she-cat's voice was full with curiosity and energy.

Jay sighed, "If I were to guess, she'll live five more days unless she gets a miracle. I need to rest and feed the kits, then I'll look for some herbs..." she trailed off, trying to find the energy to walk back to her kits.

"Don't worry about the herbs, I found some last night," Amelia mewed, racing over to one of the stone dens and returned to the bemused she-cat with a clump of several different herbs in her jaws. "I found these in a pool of water in there. Python's cats must have left them behind."

Jay took the herbs from the she-cat, too tired to explain that herbs left in a pool of water for a moon would be rotten, but that would be a brain-teaser for a time when she could actually think. "Leave them out on the stone so that they'll dry," she instructed tiredly, starting to stumble toward her kits.

"Jay, is Silver worth all this trouble?" Amelia asked. The tired she-cat nodded her head without glancing back. "But why?" Jay didn't respond to that at all.


	25. Crows

_Tansy, dock, marigold, comfrey, watermint, feverfew, tormentil, ragwort... all the basics._ Jay leaned over the leaves that Amelia had left drying, touching them with appreciation. The leaves, soaked and dried, could now be stored and used for moons to come.

The sun beat down on the white sand and Jay felt the irritating itch of it under her claws, in her fur, and in her mouth. She wondered how long she could last in a camp like this. "Flint! Toss it here!" Ice's voice commanded with serious playfulness.

Jay looked over her shoulder to see her three kits playing with a moss ball, Flint and Ice throwing it between them. Hail leaped and tried to intercept it as it went over his head, eyes glazed with determination as his attempts grazed the ball. They certainly didn't mind the sand.

It was sun-high, the day after she had seen Silver. After taking a much needed rest, Jay felt energy pour through her veins once more. Her plan was to return to Silver with marigold, feverfew, tormentil, and ragwort and convince the she-cat to allow her to heal her in exchange for information.

"Mom! Ice is cheating!" Hail cried, she winced as he ran toward her and sprayed her pelt with sand with his clumsy bounds.

"What is she doing?" she asked, glancing at Ice who was huffing at the far side of the clearing while Flint looked between the two siblings with the mossball at his paws.

"She kept throwing the ball too high so that I couldn't get it," Hail told her matter-of-factly.

Jay looked between all three kits in slight exasperation, "Wasn't that the point of the game?"

"No!" Hail cried impatiently, stomping his little paws in the sand as he looked at her, silently pleading her to understand. "You're supposed to throw the ball low enough so that the one in the middle has the chance of getting it! If you throw it so high, I can't win and that's no fun!" Hail explained in a whining voice.

Jay looked up at Ice again, "Play nice and let your brother have fun too!" she called.

Ice didn't respond directly, instead declaring, "I don't want to play this stupid game anymore." Jay sighed and shook her head.

Flint shrugged, taking the mossball and bounded over to Hail, "Let's just play by ourselves then," he mewed. Hail nodded excitedly and they went out into the middle of the clearing, tossing the mossball between them with excited squeals.

Jay watched with her whiskers twitching in amusement as Ice, who had wandered away, was attracted back by the happy cries and watched the two playing with longing, but she didn't ask to join in. Jay turned back to the herbs and put them away in neat piles in one of the many stone dens.

With her head in the rock, she didn't hear Ice pad up to her until she heard her sigh loudly. Jay pulled her head out, shaking the dust from her paws as she looked down at her dark gray she-kit. "Something wrong?" Jay asked happily, sitting gingerly down on the sand and wrapping her tail over her paws.

Ice didn't respond but looked at her brothers. "I don't think they like me," Ice mewed with resignation.

Jay couldn't hide her surprise as she watched her moon-old-daughter watch her sons with a hint of detached sadness. The expression was painfully familiar, though Jay had never seen it on a face so young. _That's right, that's how I felt._

She could remember clearly returning to the nursery in tears since every other kit and apprentice wanted to play the same game day after day and they never wanted to play her games. Scorch had soothed her by rubbing her back and asking her softly why she wouldn't play with the others. She had only been two moons old when she had decided not to play with anyone but her brother again.

Jay found herself using her own soft paw to rub her daughter's tiny back, looking at her with love and sympathy. "I'm sure they would love to play with you," she purred softly.

Ice shook her head, and looked the other way. "They don't care about me," her voice was tight and when she let out her breath it was with a shuddering sigh; but no tears fell.

Jay purred and reached down to nose her daughter lightly. "I know that they do. Why don't we go over there together and all play?"

Ice looked at her happily now, they all loved it when she played with them. "Alright!" Ice jumped to her paws and led her over to her brothers with her tail in the air. "Mom's going to play with us!" Ice called, running toward her brothers.

Flint and Hail paused their game immediately and looked at the two she-cats, pleasure spreading over their tiny faces. Flint leapt into the air in excitement, "What game are we playing? Beat the badger? Fillet the fox? Murder the mouse?" the little tom rambled on.

Jay purred, "How about a new game? Called 'catch the crow?'"

"Yes!" the three kits cried in unison, turning to look at her with bright eyes.

"Alright," Jay mewed, warmth filling her chest. "This is how you play. One of us is the crow, and we have to stand on one of the stones," she mewed, nodding at the various rocks around the clearing. "And the rest have to try to knock the 'crow' off it's perch. But if the 'crow' manages to catch your tail, you lose. The game ends when either the crow is knocked off or all the tails have been caught."

The kits nodded attentively, taking in the rules like water. Jay purred, "Who wants to be the crow?"

Three tails stood up as another three voices spoke in unison, "Me!"

Jay purred, looking at each of the kits, "You will each get a turn," she promised. "Flint, you're up first!" The tom whooped with joy as he ran over to a slightly tall rock- by his standards- and scrambled up. It was nearly flat on top so he was able to stand comfortably and as the rock was easy to climb up and was only one tail-lengths high- about Jay's height- she approved of it and the game began.

Flint stood proudly, his black and silver tabby pelt a dark contrast atop the sandy-colored rock. He puffed out his chest and let out a 'cuckaw!' imitation of a bird while Ice and Hail circled the rock beneath him, eyes bright with mischief.

Jay joined them, circling the rock at a wider breadth and padding across the sand with her toes so that she hardly made a sound. Although for her it would have been ridiculously easy to knock Flint off or to jump on top of the rock, this game was to teach the kits and she gave only a few swipes at Flint that were easy to avoid but which made him giddy with joy.

All the games she ever taught them she had designed to start giving them an edge for hunting and fighting. This game would teach the 'crow' to fight defensively, manage his balance, and aim to hit a particular point on his opponent. And it would teach the ones trying to knock the 'crow' off how to fight an enemy on higher ground then them. And all of her games taught her kits how to work together.

Ice made the first move, leaping up onto a lower part of the rock and swiping at Flint's paws. Flint took a step back and tried to pounce on Ice's grasping paw but stumbled as Hail swiped at his legs from behind, having jumped up while Flint was distracted.

Jay purred as Flint turned around and cuffed his smaller brother soundly over the ears, using his superior strength to knock his brother down the rock. But Ice used his distraction to jump up on the rock and wrapped her forelegs around his neck, hauling him over the edge with her and nearly smushing Hail as they fell onto the sand.

"I win!" Ice's voice was shrill with triumph as Flint sedately picked himself up off the ground and shook out his pelt.

"Good job!" his voice was easy and his eyes were merry. Hail joined his sister, sharing in the victory, two gray cats with the same green eyes.

"Okay, Hail, it's your turn," Jay mewed, purring over her kits warmly.

Ice spun around to look at her, "But I was the one who beat Flint!"

"As if you could have done it alone," scoffed Hail as he climbed onto the rock.

Ice glared after him, "I'll beat you too!" she shouted, circling impatiently around the bottom of the rock as Hail crouched against the top.

Jay paused with her paw raised, her nose in the air. "Mom, are you still going to play?" Flint asked, still standing beside her and looking up with a curious expression.

"Yes, in a moment. I need to check something," Jay purred, using her tail to sweep him toward the rock. He glanced back at her, dark blue eyes concerned, but he shrugged and joined Ice as she circled Hail with an annoyed expression.

Jay turned away and hurried to the other side of the clearing where Amelia laid on one of the flat slabs of stone, soaking in the sun's warmth. She'd been there all day and Jay was surprised she wasn't cooked through by now. "Amelia," she growled, poking the silky black she-cat.

Although she was sure Amelia had been fast asleep, the two amber eyes popped open immediately and searched her expression scathingly. "I'll watch your stupid furballs," the black she-cat growled, without needing an explanation.

Jay nodded and guessed that Amelia had already noticed. "I won't leave until you're sitting up," she declared, waiting for Amelia's irked expression to pass as she complied and sat up, her dark shadow cast upon the forest beyond as she gave a yawn that showed off all her teeth.

Jay left the camp, hurrying on the trail toward the tunnels. A smell was disturbing her; it was cat scent, fresh, and it came from this direction. She had thought it may be Silver, but this scent was tom. Was it a StarReader? A rogue? Another escaped member of Python's forces? She didn't think she could welcome any more new faces in such an inclosed space.

She paused at the mouth of the tunnel, the small black hole in the mountainside echoed with pawsteps. Some cat was coming through. Jay drank in the dark air from the tunnel; it was certainly a tomcat, a hint of foulness suggested it was dirty, but there was no blood or sickness. Jay breathed in deeper, knowing she'd smelled this cat before. But it wasn't until the cat was nearly at the end of the tunnel that she recognized the scent with a groan. _Why him of all cats?_

Out stepped a mess of black fur that owned two yellow eyes. _The elder from the Eagle Tree meeting!_ She remembered well now his ungracious manners and dirty pelt that she had been obliged to groom. She looked over his fur with annoyance, only two days had passed and he was already a mess again, though she admitted he didn't smell as bad as he had when she first met him.

The old tom didn't seem surprised to see her, or especially pleased, and greeted her with a grunt. "What are you doing here?" Jay demanded in a cold voice, she owed him nothing at all this time.

"I could ask you the same thing," he grumbled, his yellow eyes raking her over until she felt as if she had sand itching her pelt- which she probably did.

"I was under the impression that no cat lived here anymore," the elder grumbled, his eyes flashing with fresh irritation. "But I see that I was wrong."

"Clearly," Jay retorted, sticking out her chest, "I'm living here now and you're not welcome," she added, she was not going to start taking care of cats left and right.

The black tom didn't respond but walked past her, pushing her stubbornly out of the way when she blocked him. Jay hissed as he pushed her aside as if she weighed as much as a feather, _he's like a lumbering badger!_ She thought as he pushed through the thick foliage, creating his own path instead of using the sandy trail.

Jay followed him, ears flat against her head. How was she going to get rid of him? She hurried forward, reaching the sandy camp before the elder and went over to Amelia, waving her tail at her kits as they called to her. "That elder from the meeting is here," Jay growled.

Amelia, who had been laying on her belly with her eyes on the kits responded with a languid ease, "I wasn't at the meeting."

"Help me get rid of him!" Jay growled.

"I'm watching your furballs," Amelia sighed, "Just kill him or something."

"Why would I kill him?" Jay mewed angrily, "He's not a threat, he's an annoyance."

Amelia shrugged, closing one eye to her, "I kill things that annoy me."

Jay smirked, "And yet my kits are still alive," she remarked with amusement.

Amelia scowled, "That's because they're supposed to be your annoyance, not mine."

Jay tried a couple more times to enlist Amelia's help, especially when she heard the steady crashing of the tom's lumbering steps growing closer, but it was no use. Amelia wouldn't be persuaded to leave her warm rock for anything and proved it by threatening to claw Jay's ears off if she didn't leave her alone at that moment.

As her kits spotted the tom that had appeared from the screen of foliage and raced over to her with a wail, she turned and faced the tom once more, trotting forward as he paused at the edge of the sand clearing. "Please leave," she mewed with taunt politeness, "Or I may have to persuade you with force," she added, unsheathing her claws.

The tom had an almost amused look in his eyes, "My fur is too thick and messy to be hurt by such little prickers," he snorted, gesturing to her paws. "And I recall that you promised to groom and feed me when you first met me and dragged me out of my den."

Jay bristled, "That was only for when you came to the meeting! I did it, so now there's no more promise."

"No, no, no," the tom shook his broad head over her, "That's not what you said. You said that if I came to the meeting, you promised to hunt for me and groom my fur. You never said only once."

Jay grumbled in her throat, "I'm not going to take care of you whether or not I said that. Why don't you just go back to your own den, why are you even out on a mountainside like this?"

The tom nodded around at the hideout, "This was my home seasons ago, and I figured if these Star cats or whatnot were going to be causing trouble, I ought to get out before the first snowfall."

Jay glared at him, "This wasn't your home seasons ago, it was Python's. I heard that he'd lived here for moons."

The black cat shrugged, "He did. Two cats can live on the same mountain, can't they? And I won't be leaving," his yellow eyes shone with such stubbornness that Jay was nearly swept back to her apprentice days, having to clean and hunt for the elders and not being allowed to take a break even when she was bone-tired from battle-training or patrols.

"Then go somewhere else in the mountains, this is my home," Jay stood her ground against the older and bigger elder, it mattered little if he had known Python or was an elder, she doubted he could give her anything worth her trouble at this point.

The tom ignored her and pushed past her again, heading for one of the slabs of stone and, having climbed on top of it, laid down on his belly and closed his eyes. Jay stared at him with indignation. This was her home! He couldn't do whatever he liked and ignore her! For half a moment she contemplated taking him by his ratty tail and flinging him out of the camp.

She sighed and looked up at the pale blue sky, this wasn't the time to be making unnecessary enemies, so long as he was gone by tonight she'd put up with his antics. She didn't sense any ill intent from him and Amelia didn't seem bothered by him as she curled down to sleep on her own rock, Jay thought that the two black cats could be cousins.

Jay's kits, however, were much stirred by this intruder, the three of them were hiding behind one of the rocks, taking peeks at the already sleeping elder and sharing secretive whispers with each other. Oh well, he would at least keep the kits amused for half a day or so.

Fed up with the two black cats in the clearing, Jay told her kits to behave once more and ordered Amelia to watch her kits again, pushing the she-cat off the rock when she only responded with an ear twitch. The black she-cat gave her a baleful glare and then sat up on the sand, proceeding to groom her fur as Jay left.

The sun had passed behind the mountains again and the eastern mountainside was mantled in pale shadows. She followed the trail she had taken the previous night, noticing how much more open it seemed in the daylight. There were no trees, only a few low bushes dotted the green up-slope that gradually turned to gray stone.

She could see out over the eastern mountains, a collection of stony mountain tops that peeked and fell into scraggly valleys, none of them nearly lush enough to sport such greenness as there was in the valley or around the sandy clearing.

She realized the height of this mountain was impressive, considering that many of the others fell short even from where she stood now. They seemed more comely, their climbs more gradual and their peaks less pointed. They lacked the power of the mountains that guarded the valley.

Jay turned her thoughts away from the ancient hills, complacent enough to not wonder what lay beyond her sights. She entered the stony land where Silver lay. The stale scents of last night clung stubbornly to the rocks as she halted in front of pale tabby's den and pricked her ears.

The rough breathing and prickly sensation told her that Silver was awake and watching her. "Are you ready to comply now?" Jay called, stepping forward.

"Go away," the answer was a dark growl, fueled by pain.

"If you don't accept my help, you will die," Jay mewed sternly. She was fed up with Silver's nonsense and had left her herbs at the hideout in irritation, Silver would have to come with her if she wanted to live.

"Then I'll die happily knowing you'll be sad about it," Silver's hiss was venomous.

Jay's tail lashed once and her eyes narrowed, if the pale tabby thought she'd let her die without giving up some information she was the biggest moron she'd ever met. And Jay had met a lot of morons. "I guess I'll have to make you allow me to save your life," she mewed through gritted teeth, stomping toward the den.

There was a scuffling noise inside the den followed by a hiss, whether it from from pain or defiance Jay was too annoyed to know. She entered the dark den, finding it larger and colder then she had thought it would be. She found the she-cat by scent and the pulsing warmth that emanated from her.

"Stay away from me," Silver seethed as Jay moved closer.

"Not a chance," Jay purred, feeling slightly happy that she'd made the cat so upset. "You're coming with me whether you like it or not." Jay lunged forward and grabbed the she-cat by the scruff. As she'd expected, the cat was light from a lack of food and weak from her wounds, but she did feel Silver's claws scratching her as she dragged her out of the cave and back along the route to the sandy hideout. Once the she-cat managed to land a hard blow on her cheek and scratch her muzzle enough for it to drip with blood for a few moments. The ache and sting did nothing but annoy Jay further.

She ignored Silver's incessant struggles and swears that both grew noticeably weaker as they grew closer to the hideout and silence rose between them. Silver seemed concerned with her dark mumblings as her eyes glazed with exhaustion, Jay could tell she was in pain. But she was more concerned with wondering if the elder had left yet or what her kits would think of this new cat.

She wasn't, however, too worried about what Silver would think of her kits. The tabby was too weak to be a threat and too softhearted to be manipulative, her kits would not be in danger from Silver. As they came within earshot of the camp, green plants screening them from view, Jay released Silver and turned on her.

"I have one thing for you to keep in mind when we get to the camp," she mewed harshly. "No swearing. My kits don't need more insults to use against each other and I don't want them to be exposed to such..." Jay gestured at Silver for lack of words. "You understand what I mean?" her question was more rhetorical and Silver gave her a slight glare.

"Do your kits know what you've done?" Silver snarled.

Jay sent her a look so hot that the tabby shrunk back in spite of herself. "No, and if you wish to keep your tongue, it will remain that way. " That ended any conversation as Jay herded Silver in front of her into the camp.

As the tabby blinked her blue eyes against the bright sunlight, three bouncing blurs raced toward them. Jay purred as her kits chorused their greetings of "you're finally back!" and when they noticed Silver they shrunk back and mumbled to each other as the tabby regarded them in shock as if she hadn't truly believed Jay had such kit-like kits.

Jay shushed her kits, purring to them and asking them to please be quiet and play nicely since her friend wasn't feeling well. The three kits obeyed dutifully and wandered away, whispering to each other and sending indiscreet glanced in their direction as Jay led Silver over to one of the larger rock dens, completely ignoring the two black cats still asleep on their rocks.

"Those are your kits?" Silver asked, she sounded unconvinced. Jay nodded, cocking an ear back at her 'guest.' "I didn't think they'd be so... cheerful," the tabby added lamely.

Jay gave her a scathing look over her shoulder but didn't say anything, indicating to the den. It had a large entrance and the den was round, the rocks creating a dome above that sheltered the space below. It was a dark den, with the entrance facing the mountainside it received little to no direct sunlight, and the sand had moistened into a soft dirt that didn't cling to the fur.

"You can stay in here, it's close to the rock where I put my herbs," Jay mewed, indicating the space to the she-cat.

Silver sniffed at it, "Seems like the sort of place you'd give me; dark and damp."

"It isn't wet and most of the other dens aren't suitable as they are," Jay explained, "I haven't gone out to get any moss yet, but after I finish making my nest I'll make you one too," she added.

Silver retracted her head from the den and gave her a quizzical look, "You haven't made a nest yet? How long have you been up here?"

Jay's tail twitched, did she need to know this? "Almost a whole day, if you must know. But I'm hungry so I'd like to take care of your wounds and go hunt, since Amelia doesn't look like she's going to do anything today," she added in a growl, glancing at the black she-cat who was still curled up on the same stone as before, even though it was no longer in direct sunlight.

Jay turned her back on Amelia as she stalked over to the den where she'd stashed her herbs. She ducked her head into the dark den, her head level with her shoulders and her ears grazing the coarse rock overhead. The den was was cool but not damp, the ground was covered in a finer sand than the clearing and the only light came from the small entrance that faced north-east.

The den was small, only two tail-lengths across and one tail-length long, barely big enough for a single cat, but it was perfect for storing herbs. In the back of the den, two rocks met perpendicularly, the horizontal piece sticking out into the den about half a tail-length at a height of about midway on Jay's chest. This made it a perfect spot to place herbs where they wouldn't become covered in sand but were well protected.

Jay sat down and shuffled through the herbs, locating them by scent more than by sight. She vaguely recalled Amelia telling her they had been soaking in a pool when she found them. Picking up a feverfew leaf and moving it so that it hit the light better she inspected it.

It was shriveled and fragrant, crisp to the touch but not yet brokenly fragile. It looked as if it had been soaked and dried on purpose. The possibility that it had been soaking in water for a moon was impossible, it would have been rotted and slimy if it hadn't already disintegrated. It certainly wouldn't have become like this.

Jay frowned as she mused on the puzzle. Silver had been here before they arrived, maybe she had put them in there. _But why would she do that? I can ask her to be sure, but if she had known anything about herbs she would have used them for herself. Could she have accidentally knocked them in? No, the pool of water had high sides, they would have had to been placed deliberately. Was another cat here? But we haven't found evidence of anyone else in the area yet, but it has only been one day..._

Jay sighed and put down the leaf, taking some marigold and tormentil as well as feverfew and exited the den. Her stomach growled as the fragrant leaves filled her mouth. Although leaves were not appetizing, the smell and sensation of something in her mouth made her hungry. _I ought to hurry with this..._

She glared at Amelia as the black she-cat cleaned her fur. Although Jay hadn't seen her leave or eating, a small pile of bones lay by her rock and the kits were sniffing them with delight, pulling at the scraps of fur that lay around them. She was sure her kits would be hungry soon too, and then there was also Silver... But at least it seemed the elder had finally left.

She pushed the overwhelming pressure of things to do away and entered Silver's den. Blinking to adjust her eyes, the tabby greeted her with a growl and Jay felt her patience wearing away with the cat as she started chewing up the marigold. Silver hissed as Jay rubbed the chewed pulp over her infected wounds, but she didn't struggle with her this time.

Jay quickly applied the tormentil in silence as well and told the she-cat to eat a dose of the feverfew. The dark gray she-cat could feel that the tabby's fever had been worsened by the struggle she'd put up on the walk over here and offered to get the she-cat a wet bundle of moss- even though she wasn't sure where to find moss other then the clearing where she'd seen Python instructing his cats in battle-training a moon ago.

"No, I can get some myself," Silver answered curtly, hiding her pain with a spiteful tone. Jay didn't move as the tabby limped out of the den, she was still favoring the foreleg that had been wrenched out of place but she was using it as normal.

Jay gathered the remaining herbs, wondering if she could find something that would fight the infection better. _But I really have no idea, and all the Ivy she-cats are with the StarReaders, it would be impossible to ask them, even if they would oblige me._

She returned the herbs, noticing the air was cooler and that orange streaks were spreading across the darkened blue sky. Irritation filled her, it had been one annoyance after another today, she had done nothing but look after other cats so that she hadn't even had time to eat anything. StarClan, she was hungry!

Stomping to the herb den she put the herbs away with haste and left, hissing a curse as she bumped her head against the low roof. Her kits must have grown tired, for they were bickering in a small huddle by Amelia's rock. The black she-cat didn't even spare them a glance and Jay stomped toward them angrily. The kits spotted her approach and ran toward her.

"Mom! I'm tired."

"I'm hungry!"

"Where have you been all day?"

"Why did you leave us?"

"Mom? Mom!"

Jay barely kept herself from flinching away from her kits' cries and accusations. Her anger flowed into tenderness as she gave her kits a reassuring purr- they were on the brink of tears- and gathered them together with her tail. She led the kits away from Amelia and close to the den she had chosen for herself, laying down on the sand that was still a little warm and letting her kits nurse, watching their glazed eyes slide closed as they fell into a doze that hunger wouldn't quite allow turn into sleep.

Jay purred to them and washed them gently, licking the sand out of their fur. "I'm sorry, little ones. I had a lot to do today. But you all did so well, playing nicely and staying out of trouble."

The rumble in her stomach turned into an ache, but she couldn't leave her kits until they had fallen asleep, and she didn't even mind the sand that got into her fur anymore. She ran her tail over their backs as they stopped nursing and curled into her belly curve, slipping into sleep as easily as an otter slips into a stream.

"You really take good care of your kits?" the disgruntled mew startled her and she turned to look over her shoulder and saw the black elder standing nearby, two pieces of prey hanging from his mouth.

Jay wasn't sure if she was annoyed to see him back again or hopeful that one of those pieces of prey were meant for her. "I thought you'd left," she mewed as he sat down a good tail-length away from her.

He nodded, "I did, but I saw that your kits were getting fussy and that you hadn't eaten since I arrived. So here's my thanks for not tearing me to shreds," he grumbled, nudging over one of the pieces of prey, a fat vole.

Jay purred in thanks, congratulating herself on controlling her temper. The soft flesh of the vole was delicious down her throat and she felt it filling her stomach until she was comfortably full. "Thank you for that," she mewed politely, starting to feel drowsy with her stomach full and the sunlight disappeared into twilight's gray throes.

The elder had been picking at his own prey, a black iridescent- winged starling. "I know a den in a mossy clearing not far from here, so that is probably where I'll be staying," he muttered, as if that didn't suit him as well as staying in this clearing. He raised his yellow eyes to the sky, "But it is good to be back here again." The voice was almost melancholy and for a moment Jay forgot this was the cantankerous elder who'd annoyed her half the day.

She waited until he had finished eating, wishing him to leave so that she could find some moss to make a nest for herself and maybe hunt for Silver if she wasn't too tired. But he laid down on the sand, eating his food slowly with his eyes half closed. Jay's tail thumped against the sand.

"You said you knew Python, didn't you?" he asked suddenly. Jay nodded and the elder went on, "And you said you knew that he lived here for moons?" Jay nodded again.

The elder stared out from his rat's pelt of black fur, "And he's really dead?" he asked, yellow eyes staring at her strangely. There wasn't any sadness in them, but they did hold a shade of regret.

Jay nodded again, "Amelia saw it happen," she mewed, nodding at the black she-cat who had fallen asleep on top of her rock again.

The elder glanced at the she-cat briefly. "He was always too stubborn and self-righteous. I told him it'd put him in the ground, but he didn't listen to me," the elder muttered bitterly to himself. There was a note of paternal familiarity that took Jay off guard.

She looked at the elder more closely, "I don't suppose you were close to him?," she mewed, regarding him with surprise as he nodded.

"He was my son. But my mate and I weren't the type to cuddle our kits. He was on his own by twelve moons, and even though we lived in the same area, he became obsessed with what went on in the valley, eventually becoming involved in all sorts of nonsense."

Jay's tail twitched at this harsh portrayal of Python's ambitions, "I respected your son, he was an excellent leader for his cats. I didn't agree with much of what he said, but I believe he only had the best intentions," she used a low voice, glancing at Amelia and finding one ear cocked in their direction.

The elder shrugged, "It was his life to throw away, I'm just glad Lark wasn't around to watch him get himself kill, she would have taken it harder then I did."

Jay was quiet, watching the stars appear in the hazy indigo sky. "We all join them eventually," she murmured, but the old tom didn't hear. Jay looked at him, feeling a littler warmer toward him now that he had shared some of his secrets, she liked cats that gave her information for free. "I never properly introduced myself, my name is Jay," she mewed. He would have heard her name at the gathering and she had briefly mentioned her name when she met him, but it had been hurried and irritated, that wasn't the same thing as introducing herself personally.

The elder nodded, bringing his eyes to rest on her, "My name is Crow," he didn't use any pleasantries and he didn't sound especially concerned with her and that suited Jay.

She was going to make a comment on how both he and his mate were named after birds when she was distracted by Silver, who was limping across the clearing- probably from making her dirt- back toward her den. Her pale eyes were light with pain and Jay could smell the reek of infection.

"That cat is very sick," Crow mewed, observing Silver as well.

Jay gave him a sarcastic glance but held her tongue, he may not be as open with her if she was rude. "I tried giving her marigold and tormentil for the infection, and feverfew for the fever. But it hasn't worked at all yet," she shrugged, "I'm not sure I can save her."

"Is she a friend?" Crow asked, "I think I've seen her before," he added, squinting.

"She was part of Python's corps. I'm trying to save her so that I can ask her some questions about the cats that beat Python and the Ivy Cats, but I wouldn't call her a, 'friend,'" Jay explained.

Crow looked at the dark den that Silver had entered, eyes narrowed. "I once fell and cut myself on a rock. It got infected and Lark couldn't heal it- she found herbs interesting, by the way- but then she met one of the Ivy Cats and they told her to use Stinging Nettle to help fight the infection. It tasted terrible, but I did get better," Crow rambled slowly.

Jay's ears pricked, "Stinging Nettle?" She didn't even need a description, she'd used it in plenty of pranks on her fellow apprentices and gotten in a lot of trouble each time. Well, he was giving her all sorts of information, wasn't he? Maybe his acquaintance wasn't useless after all. "I'll look for some tomorrow and try it, thank you," she purred, hoping he would leave.

He did, the black elder stood up and left with a short,"good night." Jay watched him go, the merit of his stores of knowledge that hadn't yet been too affected by age and his unique relationship with Python had not gone over her head in that conversation. He wouldn't be such a bad neighbor after all.

Jay smiled and looked up at the sky, now nearly as dark as a crow's wing. She purred to her kits, "Did you know, my little warriors?" she whispered, "Crow's are often seen as a sign of misfortune since they eat carrion. But they're sometimes also considered the messengers of the dead, I can only wonder... what we can learn about the dead form this old Crow?"


	26. The Well

"I'm going down to the valley."

It was early in the morning, a sea of pale clouds shut out the sky above the mountain tops. A breeze that was startlingly chill heralded the oncoming cold season and whistled over the mountainside shaking the lush foliage that had abruptly curled into an array of red and gold.

Jay sat, her kits nursing as she ate a warm song bird of some sort, and stared at Silver with her eyes wide for a few seconds. The pale tabby had clung to life by a hair for several days after Jay brought her to the sandy hideout, but the stinging nettle had worked and the fever and infection had receded, allowing the tabby to rapidly gain back her strength.

Unfortunately, Jay still hadn't managed to get any information from her about the StarReaders, though the she-cat had been forced to promise to tell Jay all she knew when she was completely well again. But now, a quarter moon later, the gray tabby came to her with this announcement.

The dark blue-gray she-cat shot a glance at Amelia who sat licking her claws after finishing her own meal, eyes lucid with amusement. "But you aren't fully recovered yet," Jay mewed slowly, she wouldn't let her leave until she'd gotten every scrap of information out of her.

"I know that," Silver mewed. Her voice was stronger and she wasn't nearly so thin, but the lingering infection in her wounds showed in how red they were as they scarred over.

Jay flattened her ears to her head, uninterested in nonsense. "You won't be going anywhere until you're perfectly healed and you keep your promise."

The tabby gave her a baleful look, "I'll come back, don't worry. I want to see how things are getting along for myself down there. Unlike you, I'm concerned about the well-being of others."

Jay's tail flicked, it had been Amelia's sole job the last quarter moon to keep her informed on all the changes in the valley and to try to learn more about the StarReaders, so far nothing had happened. But she wasn't going to allow Silver to risk her neck on such a trip to prove it, plus, she'd be lying to say she didn't suspect the she-cat might try anything to get away. _If she does that, I'll hunt her down and kill her myself._

"You are still sick, you will be of no use to any cat if you collapse half-way up the mountain and get carried away by an eagle. Stay here and finish recuperating and then you can go see your little friends," Jay ordered, pushing her kits away with her tail as they finished their meal and started to tussle with each other.

Silver shook her head, "No, thanks. I'm your 'patient' not your 'prisoner,'" she added stress to the words, "I won't stay out too long and my wounds will bother me too much to not come back."

"You could have memorized which herbs I gave you," Jay muttered, but from the determined and disdainful look in her blue eyes, she knew Silver would leave the second her back was turned. And she didn't feel like sitting on top of the she-cat until she got better.

Jay relented, "Fine, if you're not back by sunset I'll be after you." The gray tabby looked surprised to win so easily and she almost looked grateful. "But don't do anything stupid, "Jay snapped, she wasn't going to risk her own safety to rescue a fool.

The tabby hurried out of the sandy clearing, heading toward the tunnels. Jay watched her with narrowed eyes, "Follow her," she ordered Amelia. "If you can help it, don't reveal yourself. But if you see her start doing risky things, bring her back, by force if necessary." The black she-cat sighed and glanced at the rock which had been designated her sleeping spot, she spent most of her time there when she was in the hideout.

"So much for a day off," Amelia muttered, giving her an irritated look.

"It isn't sunny today anyways, may as well save your day for when it is," Jay snorted, turning to her kits as the black cat left.

"Mom!" Hail hurried over to her, Flint and Ice trailing behind. "Can we go see Crow?" The kits had been infatuated with the tom since he had started telling them stories. Jay gave them a wry look, he only told them stories when she was grooming his fur or hunting for him.

"It's the first thing in the morning, he's probably still asleep," she told her kits.

"Nu-uh, he said he always woke up before the sun rose above the mountain," Flint mewed.

Jay waved her tail out at the gray sky, "But what if he can't tell with it so cloudy? He is old, you know."

"Mom!" her kits laughed at her, "He isn't that stupid!"

Since the sandy hideout was empty, Jay reluctantly agreed and led her kits along the familiar sandy trail that ran alongside the stream. A few orange leaves floated down in the wind and the kits leaped at them, occasionally catching them and clawing them to shreds with ferocious little growls that turned into squeals of delight.

They reached the mossy clearing as a thin mist came down over the mountainside. It made Jay uncomfortably damp and cool, but her kits were sprightly, shivering with delight as they pawed at each others faces where the mist accumulated into delicate water drops on their whiskers.

Jay purred at her silly kittens and herded them towards Crow's den, anxious to get them out of the chill mist before they caught cold. Crow's den was constructed at the edge of the clearing against a large mossy boulder. A log had fallen at an angle against the boulder and Jay had spent afternoons helping him use ferns, briars, ivy, moss, and gorse to construct a watertight den for him to sleep under, since he threatened to live in the sandy camp if she refused to help him.

"Crow!" Flint called, bouncing into the dark den. Jay had already checked the air to make sure there was no one else in the den but Crow and she swept her other two kits into the dry space.

"Mom was right, he is still asleep," Ice mewed, peeking over at the black tom who was snoring soundly in a comfortable moss nest.

"Shh! Don't wake him!" Flint hissed loudly.

Crow snorted and grumbled in his sleep and Jay swept her kits over to the other side of the den, sitting with them as she looked out at the green clearing, the mist coming down in sheets. "I'm going to go catch him something to eat, you kits be quiet and don't bother him if he wakes up before I get back," she ordered sternly.

Her kits gave their promises and she stepped out into the mist with a sigh, it was cold and clung to her fur like spiderwebs. The wet leaves brushed against her as she crawled through the undergrowth, trying to find something else stupid enough to be out on such a day.

Luckily she found a raven, pruning its feathers as it shook water off of its glossy feathers. It was perched on a hawthorn branch, low enough for Jay to reach is she leaped, but close enough to giver her an advantage. Using her skill, she circled around it, at once keeping her eyes locked on her prey and being carefully attuned to her surroundings.

Soundlessly, she settled into a pounce position, letting her tail float above the ground behind her. She leaped and as the raven took off in a flutter she batted it to the ground and crunched the fallen leaves under it, lying still. She had struck at its neck so that it had been killed instantly as her hit snapped its spine.

She picked up the dead bird from the ground, carrying it by the neck so that its wings wouldn't drag in the sandy dirt that was quickly turning into a soft mud. Returning to the mossy clearing, she heard before she could see them, the chatter of her kits and the grumpy response of Crow.

"At least you had the manners to not make me watch your kits for nothing," Crow grunted as she walked in with the raven. "Clean up your fur quick, I don't want water everywhere," he snapped, taking the raven ungraciously. Jay couldn't help but think how well he would fit in with the ThunderClan elders.

As she was cleaning her fur and Crow was eating the raven, the kits chattered amongst themselves, eventually starting to dare each other to take a step out of the den and try to drink the mist out of the air. Jay purred as her three kits stood at the entrance of the den, leaning forward with her mouths wide open and tilted upward as they tried to drink the mist while keeping their paws dry.

"If you only came to play with the weather, you may as well go home," Crow snorted as he finished his meal.

"We didn't come here for that!" Ice mewed indignantly, whipping around to look at the elder.

"Yeah!" Flint agreed.

"We came here for more stories," Hail mewed, still trying to catch the mist on his tongue.

Crow glanced at her, "I have an itch in my pelt I haven't been able to get rid of since yesterday."

Jay sighed, taking the hint. "If you tell them a story, I'll clean your fur." They all gathered around the tom and Jay began parting the black fur, looking for any fleas or ticks. Since she had cleaned his fur several time, it was considerably less disgusting than it had been the first few times, but she still disliked how coarse his fur was, like a badger's, she always thought.

"What sort of story would you three like?"Crow asked, putting his chin on his paws so that he was eye-level with the kits.

"A story about when you were young and your travels!" Ice mewed.

"Nah, tell us about when you defeated an enemy," Hail piped up.

"Crow, have you ever explored this entire mountain before?" Flint asked, dark eyes gleaming with interest.

"Did I ever explore this entire mountain?" Crow mulled over those words for a few moments. "I can't say I've explored everything, but I have made quite a few expeditions on this mountain," his yellow eyes narrowed, "That reminds of the time I found the stars in the ground."

Jay's ears pricked and the kits trembled in anticipation, "I think I know what they want to hear about," Jay commented, leaning in to crack a tick with her teeth. She wouldn't admit that her own curiousness was piqued.

"Alright. It was many, many seasons ago. I had decided to try to find a route to the top of the mountain on this side of the mountain, so I started by taking a goat trail up until I had passed the mark where all things stop growing. It's difficult to follow a goat path past that point, I'll have you know."

"I continued walking up at a slant, the slope too steep to climb straight up. Around that time clouds started moving into the area and when I took a moment to look out over the mountain range, I was overtaken by the clouds and before I could even attempt to find my way back down again, I was surrounded by a swirling, white, wasteland."

"Were you in a cloud?" Hail asked excitedly. Crow nodded.

"What's it like?" Flint asked, eyes gleaming.

"Shh!" Ice cuffed her brothers over the head, "Be polite and listen quietly," she scolded.

"Being in a cloud is sort of like being in really thick fog at night where you can't hardly see in front of your face. But it is all white instead of black. Anyways, I didn't want to move when I wouldn't be able to see if I was walking off the mountainside, but because it was so cold, if I stayed still and caught a chill I would be in trouble with my mate."

"I started stomping in place, trying to keep myself warm. But I must have moved for a slipped on a patch of slick rock and I started rolling down the stone mountainside. I couldn't stop and I thought for sure I was going to roll right off the mountainside and die. And when I felt myself free-falling, I knew it was the end."

"But it wasn't," now Ice interrupted and both her brothers shushed her and they, who sat on either side of her, cuffed their paw over her ears.

"No, it wasn't. But I even saw my life flash before my eyes. A moment later, however, I fell onto a hard stone floor. I was sore, but not broken, and I soon came to my senses and stood up. I found myself in a dark stone cavern, the only light came from the hole in the roof that I fell through. Although I couldn't see anything but the cobalt stone I stood upon, I could also hear water dripping."

"Since the hole above me was too high to jump out of, I realized I had to find a way out or die. I started wandering around, though since I couldn't see anything away from the skylight I moved slowly, testing each foothold before putting any weight on it. There was no telling if the stone was full of gaps or if it would crumble away at my touch and plunge me into who knows how far a drop."

"I found that the direction I was moving brought me closer to the sound of dripping water. Now, mind you, it took me a lot of time to make it that far, but I entered into another part of the cavern where I could see. There wasn't any hole, but hundreds of fine cracks in the roof allowed light to seep in."

"I have no idea if I had passed similar areas before, but at this part there was a straight stone path straight across the cavern, and on either side, there was a large pool of water, midnight blue and smooth as glass. I still don't know why, but I got terrible chills and moved through that part of the cavern as quickly as possible, continuing to head for the sound of dripping water."

"Here is where it starts to get interesting. That whole time I had only been able to smell the dankness of a cave; stone, water, cold, etc. But then I caught a whiff of cat scent, female and up ahead. This was a huge relief to me, if there was a cat there, they must know how to get out. The thought that they were also lost didn't even occur to me until much later."

"After a bit more time walking in darkness, I finally made it to the where the sound of dripping water came from. There was a light up ahead so bright that I knew it was the entrance and you can imagine the relief, after having walked through an endless cavern nearly all day, this made me extremely glad."

"The first thing I saw was the dark walls of the cave around me, and then the space opened up and I was standing behind a white she-cat who was laying on the ground. At first, I thought she was asleep, but when I looked closer, she was peering over the edge of a round hole."

"I was wary enough by that time that I wasn't going to go close to any holes, but the she-cat noticed me and beckoned me closer. I don't remember what it was about her, but there was a strangeness about this cat that made me feel it was best to obey quietly."

"I leaned over the edge, on first impression the hole was black, void of any light, and I told her so. But then she said to look closer and pulled me over by her. I looked more closely and you'll never guess what I saw."

"Stars!" her kits mewed in unison. Crow looked surprised and Ice explained, "You said at the beginning that you found stars in the ground, remember?"

Crow frowned, "Are you sure I said that?"

"Yes!" Jay remained quiet but she couldn't tell if he was doing it on purpose or not.

"Anyways, you're right, I saw hundreds of little white lights in the bottom of the hole, they looked so far away and peaceful. But when water dripped from the ceiling above and hit the ground, it sent the stars dancing, like a drop of rain setting the night sky in motion."

"I was stunned, for sure, I had never seen anything so marvelous before or since- excluding my mate- when I finally looked up, the white cat asked if I was lost and didn't even require an answer before leading me out of the cave. The cloud cover was as bad as before but she led me down the mountainside confidently, though I couldn't have even known if we were still on the same mountain."

"And then, as soon as we broke through the cloud cover, I thanked her and she left. I called after her to ask her if I could repay her somehow, but since her fur was so white it melted right into the clouds, even her eyes were pale. I never saw her again and even though I searched the mountainside several times, I never again found the hole or the entrance that I left the cavern from. The well with the stars in it is hidden from me, but I know it is still somewhere on this mountain."

Crow finished his story and the kits begged for another one. But since Jay had finished grooming his pelt and the mist had stopped, though it remained cloudy, he refused and Jay took her kits away. The dying undergrowth was slick with moisture and the ground made sucking noises as they walked along the muddy path.

"That was a good story," Hail mewed, walking along the side of the path opposite of the stream bank where it was driest.

"Yeah, but can you imagine walking someplace strange in the dark all day? And then see a white cat just happening to be there looking at stars that are stuck in the ground?" Flint mewed, splashing in the mud and kicking it up into his fur.

"I think that he made it up, there's no way a place like that exists," Ice sniffed, walking straight down the middle of the path in front of Jay.

"Hey! Are you calling Crow a liar?!" Flint growled.

"I'm calling him a storyteller," Ice mewed condescendingly, "Like he actually defeated three wolves all on his own," she snorted.

Her kits argued more about the reliability of Crow's stories. Flint was sure they were the absolute truth, Ice felt confident they were stretched from reality, and Hail looked in between his siblings, willing to agree with both but unable to decide on one side.

"Then I'll just have to find the cavern and prove he wasn't lying!" Flint growled.

Ice laughed at him, "Good luck finding a place that doesn't exist. Didn't you hear him? He never could find it again, so he couldn't tell us where it is."

"I'll find it," Flint reaffirmed, "It'll be a real adventure, right, Hail?" Hail nodded hesitantly, looking a little confused.

Jay purred to her kits, "You can look for it all you want when you're older, but cold messy kits need to eat and take a nap," Jay mewed as they reached the camp. She took the protesting kits into her den and sat down to wash them.

Her den was in the largest rock den, about as big as the apprentices den back in the ThunderClan. The long side of the rectangular den that faced the mountainside was completely open, allowing easy in and out access. On sunny days it let in the light and on clear nights, the moonlight brightened it up. It wouldn't be usable in late leaf-fall or leaf-bare when it was cold, but for now, Jay enjoyed the open den as she laid under it, her back against the cool rock and her kits sitting by her belly.

They nursed and she groomed them, licking every bit of mud from their fur and smoothing their fluffy fur as they fell asleep with their tiny tails flicking behind them. The mist started up again and Jay fell into a doze, her tail thumping to the hiss of mist.

She passed most of the day like that, eventually falling asleep with her head on her folded forelegs at some point. The dark gray she-cat was awoken by agitated voices, rumbling on the edges of her hearing like distant thunder.

Uneasiness, sharp as needles, pricked her belly as she lifted her head and looked around. The mist had turned to rain and the spray of it was all over fur and her kits were shivering against her. Jay re-circled so that she lay between her kits and the den opening so as to protect them from the spray and looked over her shoulder into the gray curtain, watching the hazy red and brown foliage wave at the other end of the clearing.

The voices had stopped and the rain made catching scents impossible, but she could hear other things. Two pairs of paw steps, two heavy breaths, she could feel them coming closer. Jay guessed it was Silver and Amelia and she waited as the cats approached, but she felt the prickling sensation grow stronger as two figures appeared; one pale, one black.

Silver it indeed was, but it was not Amelia. Jay nearly jumped when she saw Midnight enter her den besides Silver. Both she-cats were dripping wet and breathing heavily, Midnight's long fur clung to her skinny sides and her ice colored eyes were broken with exhaustion.

Jay didn't speak as the two she-cats sat down, staring at her blankly. The dark gray she-cat wrapped her tail over her kits, hoping not to awaken them with this conversation. "Where is Amelia?" she asked quietly, looking at Silver, if something had happened, the black she-cat should have done something about it.

The pale tabby looked guilty, "She stayed to watch the StarReaders."

"I asked her to," Midnight burst out, energy flooding into her previously defeated body. Her tail lashed behind her and her front paws clawed at Jay's nest. "I'm sorry, I had no right, but I needed her to do this!"

The dark gray she-cat watched the black cat aloofly, multiple thoughts had flooded her the moment she'd seen Midnight. Why was she here? Did something happen to her? What about her kits? And the elders? How did she meet Silver? But she kept all of that hidden for the moment.

"Midnight, what brings you all the way out here on such a day?"Jay asked, staring at the she-cat that was tearing her carefully constructed nest to pieces.

"It's the StarReaders, Jay!" Midnight broke into sobs, "They came while I was out hunting. By the time I got back they'd taken everyone! My mother, my uncles, my kits!" her eyes rolled back into her head and her breaths came in short gasps for air.

"How do you know it was the StarReaders?" Jay asked, glancing at Silver, wondering if she should try to calm Midnight down and find out what she could from Silver who, although seemed distressed, looked more angry than hysterical.

"I know their scent, and I tracked them back to their territory. I know it's them! They've taken my kits to use in the moon ceremonies you hear about! I know it!" Midnight cried, burying her head in her paws and sniffling. Jay had never heard such a despairing tone come from a cat before. It was as if the entire world was ending for her.

Jay stood up and led Midnight by the tail out of the den, signaling to Silver to watch her kits. Jay shivered against the chill rain, but Midnight didn't seem to notice, her hot breaths stirring her whiskers while she stared ahead, wide-eyed and blank.

"Come with me, Midnight. We'll get this all sorted out," she soothed. She took her to the herb den and, shaking her paw clean of wet sand, grabbed some thyme and poppy seeds and practically force-fed the she-cat who had gone back to being limp, her shock complete.

Jay wondered how long it had been since the incident and if Midnight had ever slept. Considering that she fell asleep the moment Jay helped her down onto the ground, she doubted it. Now that Midnight's terrible anxiety was at least postponed, Jay looked out of the small den that felt smaller with the sleeping black she-cat taking up most of the space.

Her belly twisted, what had happened to Midnight's kits? If the StarReaders had taken them, as Midnight claimed, who knew what had become of them. But what concerned Jay the most was what Midnight expected her to do about it.


	27. Gifts

Jay left Midnight fast asleep in the den and stepped out into the cold rain that soaked into her fur until it ran in drivels over her pelt. Narrowing her eyes against the weather, she headed back to her den. Through the haze, she could see Silver sitting with her tail in front of her kits to protect them from the rain.

Silver removed her tail as Jay stepped beneath the den's shelter, standing near the opening as the dripping water pooled beneath her. She could see a pool of water beneath Silver as well. "Well," she began, eyes closed as she started licking her fur dry, "I think you are going to be the one to tell me what in StarClan's name is going on."

Silver looked confused for a moment, "StarClan?"

Jay snorted, "Forget about it. Tell me what happened with Midnight, and why she came here of all places."

Silver looked away, "She could tell you better than I."

"Not while she's so anxious that she can't create one coherent thought," Jay growled, glaring at the she-cat. "We can talk about the StarReaders later, just tell me about Midnight."

That seemed to relieve Silver's tenseness and she dropped her shoulders, starting to reiterate the story. "I don't know much more than you. But, as she already said, while she was out hunting she returned to an empty den where there were many strange scents."

"Anxious, but hoping it was just the elders catching up with some friends she didn't know, she followed the scent until the scent of blood got mixed in," Silver paused, eyes dark, "She could tell it was from one of her kits."

Jay flinched inwardly and subconsciously glanced at her own kits, she could imagine the fury she would be on if some cat harmed a hair on their pelt. "When the scent trail reached StarReader territory she knew what had happened."

"She tried to find their camp without being seen but couldn't find it and was spotted once and chased out. She was too scared to try again but too worried to leave, so she hung around their border and that's when I met her. Since I knew where the camp was, I told her I'd show her, but then Amelia came out of nowhere- did you have her follow me?- and told us that there were too many cats in the area."

"Midnight swore she didn't care what Amelia said, but the black she-cat managed to convince her it would do her kits no good if she was killed. I felt bad for her so I offered to look for them alone, but that made Amelia more angry and she said we should all return to you and tell you what had happened. Midnight wouldn't leave for anything, so Amelia at last compromised that she would go take a look if we went straight to you. So we broke up and I led Midnight back to the mountain."

"I was sorry for her, she looked so thin and tired and worried. I told her to cheer up but then she started sobbing, saying she was sure her kits were already dead, used in some ceremony. Since I didn't understand what would give her that thought, I asked her and she told me."

Silver was silent after that, and her pale blue eyes took on that same lifeless expression both cats had first approached her with. "She told me that she'd known some cat who had lost a whole litter to the StarReaders before. It was a similar set-up, the mother had left her kits while she was out hunting and returned to an empty den. All her searches for her kits turned up nothing until she finally caught a fresh trail and followed it to the north-eastern mountain where she found it."

The tabby looked away, a simmering anger vibrating throughout her tense muscles and twitching tail. "She found the four bodies of her kits, dead and left to picked on by scavengers, though the smell of herbs clung heavy to their fur."

Jay stiffened, "But how do you know for sure it was for a ceremony?"

Silver flattened her ears to her head, "Why else would they be killed and discarded like prey? And their wasn't a mark on their body, they had been poisoned, or choked to death by herbs. Is there an odder way to kill a cat?"

"Poison is an effective way to kill some cat," Jay mewed reasonably, trying to find some reason for those kits deaths without resorting to rumors. "The mother could have offended the StarReaders and that was their revenge," revenge was hardly an excuse for killing innocents, but many used it.

"But why kill her kits then? They didn't do anything! And Midnight has never done anything to them." Silver's mouth witched in a snarl.

Jay made a soothing motion with her paw, "I know that, but when cats hold a grudge, they're capable of doing anything to make the cat that hurt them feel pain. As for Midnight's kits, that's why I'm not so sure they're dead, or that they will die. The StarReaders said they wanted to either have every cat in the valley join them or drive them out. They could have been out scouting the territory and found the den full of kits and elders and decided to make them choose. The elders are wise enough to go along quietly. So there's no reason for irrational fears," Jay mewed with a dismissive tone.

Silver's eyes darkened, "Shows what you know," the she-cat grumbled.

"What was that?" Jay retorted sharply, "If you don't like my assessment of the situation, please, tell me more about the StarReaders so that I can more accurately judge them," she leaned forward, silently daring the tabby to tell her all she knew.

Silver drew back warily, "My wounds hurt," she complained.

Jay's whiskers twitched in annoyance and she sat back up, lifting a paw to run it over her ear, "Midnight is sleeping in the herb den right now, so I can't get you anything for now. You'll have to endure it like a warrior."

"And what is a warrior?" Silver snapped impatiently.

Jay's ears laid flat against her head, "Something you could never be," she hissed, "Now please, be quiet," she mewed, circling around her kits and closing her eyes. She could hear Silver shifting around behind her, finally settling down in the large den.

The rain pattered down, an uninterrupted rhythm and Jay sought the calming solace of sleep from the disturbing news of the day. Taking comfort from her softly purring kits, she dreamed of a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Jay opened her eyes to some cat shaking her roughly. The light was dim, showing it was night, but she could recognize Amelia by her slight silhouette. "Amelia?" Jay mewed groggily, stifling a yawn as she curled tighter around her kits to protect them against the chill of the night.

"Don't you look all cozy," Amelia sneered, Jay could imagine her leering expression even in the dark. "No thought at all for your friend who spent the better part of the day and the night shivering in a tree, dripping wet, on a fool's errand."

"You didn't have to do what Midnight asked you to do," Jay grumbled back.

"I wasn't talking about her," Amelia growled. Jay ignored her, closing her eyes again. "But I think it's time we had Silver and Midnight fully explain themselves," the black she-cat added, her tone less hostile.

Jay peeked an eye out at her, "It's almost dawn, let's wait till then," she mewed. She could taste the fresh taste of dew on her tongue. The rain had passed, but the clouds remained to block out the lights of the night sky.

"Fine," Amelia agreed unhappily, "But don't ask anything of me for the whole day, or I swear, I'll claw your ears off," with that the black she-cat stomped away. Jay watched her in amusement, her companion did not usually show such emotion. And the heaviness of her steps told Jay that she had finally reached a limit where even she grew exhausted and her patience was shot.

Jay dozed until the chirping of birds heralded dawn's arrival and she sat up in the grayness and stretched, careful to not disturb her sleeping kits. She glanced at Silver, a pile of spiky, pale, gray fur snoozing in the corner furthest from her.

Jay sighed, all this trouble because Silver had to go on a silly day-trip. Using her tongue to smooth out her chest fur, she kept an eye on her sleeping kits. Her annoyance melted at the sight of them, replaced with a compassionate warmth that she'd become familiar with only at their birth.

Reluctantly, she left the den and looked out at the camp. The rain had passed, the cloud cover was rolling away to the east, the west was clear except for a few high wispy clouds that clung to the dark sky. The air was cold and clear and Jay took deep gulps of it into her lungs, swallowing the sharp scent with a hint of reservation.

The cold season was creeping closer, like a hunter waiting for the kill. She had never spent a cold season in the mountains, but from the preparations the Ivy Cats had been doing in the middle of the green-leaf, she didn't expect it to be an easy time.

Stepping lightly over the damp sand, she left the camp, following the stream and then branching off from it when she caught the scent of squirrel. Her adept hunting skills led her to make four soundless kills on the mountainside before dawn had fully arrived.

Padding back to the camp, her mouth watering with the taste of the mouse she carried in her jaws, she spotted Amelia waiting for her on the black she-cat's designated rock. Jay padded up to her, flinging the mouse in her jaws up to the she-cat's paws.

"That's for you," Jay mewed as her spy sniffed at the mouse.

"Thanks," she growled, ripping into the meat without reserve.

"You didn't eat at all when you got back, did you?" Jay asked, taking the two squirrels and shrew off her shoulders where she'd laid them to carry back.

"It was cold and wet and I was tired and wet. Besides, it was the middle of the night, nothing was stirring in that sort of weather at that sort of time," Amelia mumbled between mouthfuls, her tail waving behind her in unspoken gratitude.

Jay nodded at her and took the shrew back to her den, tossing it on Silver's sleeping form and leaving as the she-cat jumped to her paws, back arched and fur on end. Jay grabbed one of the squirrels and headed to the herb den. She didn't step inside, but saw that Midnight was still sleeping and laid the squirrel by her muzzle, hoping the scent would give the cat a gentler wake-up than she could do.

Retrieving the last piece of prey, a gangly brown squirrel, she went once more to her own den where Silver was polishing off her meal and sat down besides her kits. Taking a few bites of the still warm food, she nudged her kits awake and coaxed them to nurse.

That was all it took for them to shake off their sleep and jump around her, kicking her with their tiny legs, clawing her as they clambered over her, and deafening her with their cries of delight. Jay's tail twitched and she winced as sharp claws pierced it, she glanced at Flint, who was clinging to her tail with delight as she continued twitching it back and forth, dragging him around with her tail.

Silver didn't speak to her, she only watched her with her kits and Jay ignored her for the time being, though she noticed the faint hint of fever from the she-cat and reminded herself to give the she-cat a dose of feverfew and stinging nettle along with the regular herbs.

When Jay had finished eating, she took her kits out of the den. The air was slowly warming as the rising sun began to break through the clouds and shed soft light over the mountains. The yellow aspen leaves glittered like gold and fluttered against each other like sheaths of feathers.

Her kits paraded around the edges of camp, inspecting the quiet blue puddles and giggling as they dabbed their paws in the water and sent the surface rippling. Jay purred as she watched them, their light voices filling the air with warmth and the innocence of kit-hood. But when she thought of Midnight, separated from her precious kits, she felt a dark cloud over her.

As far as she was concerned, it was none of her business and she had no responsibility in regards to the situation. Midnight had to take care of her own family, on her own. But what would she do if she were in that situation? Jay's stomach turned at the thought, it had happened before, where she'd been separated from her kits. But then, she had known that they wouldn't be harmed and knew that it wouldn't be long before she had them back.

But what if the StarReaders had taken them? Would she go ask for help from her friends? In the Clans, the whole Clan wouldn't rest until the kits were returned safely. But out here, there was no such security. She would have to go alone, despite being crushed by her own nerves and the fear and loneliness she would be subject to at being separated from her kits.

And yet, with those real feelings haunting her, she still couldn't sympathize with Midnight. She was sorry, of course, that it had happened, but there was no drive to help her at all. As she was thinking over her thoughts and feelings, she saw a shift of black fur and Midnight stumbled from the herb den, hitting her head on the roof and blinking her eyes against the sunlight as she looked around with a most doleful expression.

Jay looked around, Silver was grooming her fur in front of her own den and Amelia was curled up on her rock. Jay waved her tail at Midnight and Silver and signaled them to follow her as she walked over to Amelia's rock. Her kits were playing on the other side of the clearing where she could watch them but they wouldn't be within earshot of their conversation.

Amelia's ears flicked up as Silver arrived, standing at a wary distance. Jay could see she needed those herbs, but it would have to wait. Midnight plodded over, her paws barely lifting enough to be dragged forward. Although she had to have benefited from the rest and the food, she looked as if she still lacked the energy to take another step forward.

When Midnight reached the spot, she sat heavily down, eyes glued to her paws. Jay cleared her throat, sitting down and wrapping her tail neatly over her paws. "Alright, so, Amelia, tell us what you found."

The black she-cat grumbled as she pulled herself to her paws. Midnight turned her face to Amelia, eyes full of hope and yet her expression was dark with despair. Silver stood attentively, looking more serious than usual.

"After you two left," Amelia flicked her tail at Midnight and Silver, "I went to the StarReaders camp to look for your kits."

"Did you find them?" Midnight broke in, voice cracking as she leaned toward Amelia.

Amelia looked at her coldly for a moment before giving a curt nod, "The kits and the elders were being kept in the half of the camp that the StarReaders do not live in. The kits seemed afraid, but the elders were feeding them as best they could and they didn't seem ill-treated, except that the little brown tom-kit looked like he had stepped on a thorn, his paw was wrapped in leaves and he clearly favored that paw."

Midnight closed her eyes and her whole body seemed to shudder with relief that her kits were still alive. Jay noticed Silver's tail was quivering, the she-cat didn't look pleased at all. Jay narrowed her eyes, "And after seeing they were fine, you returned?" she questioned.

Amelia nodded, "It was too crowded to smuggle out a kit, let alone three. The weather was bad and the wind was making it difficult to hide in the trees. I had to get out before dark or I could be in trouble."

Jay nodded, "You did well. And now I think it is Silver's turn to explain some things," she mewed, turning her attention on the pale tabby.

Silver started, as if she hadn't been expecting to have the topic turned on her. At first she squared her shoulders as if she were going to refuse on the grounds that she still hadn't fully recovered, but then she caught Midnight's pleading gaze and she gave a small inclination of her head, agreeing.

"I'll tell you what happened to me last moon," Silver muttered, sitting down, her tail flicking nervously behind her as she stared ahead pf her, looking at a time gone by. "Like the rest of Python's cats, I was taken by the StarReaders when he was killed. I wasn't terribly injured, but I was exhausted and that made the wounds I'd suffered in battle against the Ivy Cats feel worse."

"We went along with them as they marched us to the Ivy Cats home and took all those remaining- mostly the young, the old, and the she-cats. Then they turned us into the territory, heading west, and we came upon a clearing with a stream running through it. One side of the stream was lower than the other and was covered in dirt and other sediment. The other side, however, was carpeted with short grass and dotted with flowers."

"The Ivy Cats seemed shocked to find dens already in place and I heard them say that there hadn't been anything there the day before. I was too tired to care and was hoping they'd either kill us or let us sleep. Now the blind white she-cat turned to us and asked us to all stand in a straight line on the lower side of the bank, her daughter- the one that killed Python- stepped forward when we didn't move at all."

"Now, although I certainly wasn't scared of her, I wasn't looking to die that day and so I imagine everyone else felt, for we all lined up. Then the white she-cat started going down the line with her daughter trotting behind her. The blind cat occasionally touched muzzles with a cat in the line. She passed by me without stopping."

"When she had gone through the line, the StarReaders rounded up everyone who had been touched by their leader and congratulated them, bringing them across the bank with them to the nicer side. I noticed that a lot of the Ivy Cats had been picked, but I didn't say anything."

"Only the leader's daughter remained on the lower side with us. Her name is Lune, by the way. No cat spoke as she moved to the side of the clearing and brought out a few piles of different sticks, briars, thorn and gorse bushes. She ordered us to split into groups and start building a barrier to keep out invaders on our side, the higher side across the bank was already safely barricaded."

"Although it was already dark and we were almost all wounded, I don't imagine any cat could have slept anyways and no cat wanted to turn Lune's focus on them, so every cat hurried to build the barrier. The clearing wasn't very large and, working through the night, we'd finished it by dawn. Only to see that Lune had also been working on the barrier from the other side and that the openings we'd left for getting in and out were blocked off. We'd totally enclosed ourselves from the forest and the only other way to get out would be to go into the stream, where we'd be in full view of the StarReaders. That was our first mistake."

Jay growled, "How could you not notice something like that?" she snorted in disbelief at their stupidity.

"We were tired and scared, we weren't thinking straight," Silver shot back, fur ruffled. "Anyways, day passed and no cat spoke to us from across the bank and we were not allowed to leave. They fed us and Lune treated our wounds, but they hardly spared us a glance, even the cats we'd used to know and despite that both halves of the camp were in full view of each other. I was plotting an escape with two of my fellow captives that were from Python's force. We started pulling out the barrier behind the den where it wouldn't be seen; one cat watching the StarReaders, two cats working on tearing down the incredibly thick barrier at night. We planned to escape on the fifth night of our captivity."

"But that night it was rainy and windy and the StarReaders posted a guard, as if they knew we'd try to escape in the wild night. On the sixth day, one of my comrades that was helping with the operation, a tom named Finch- who was mates with Tansy, the other member of the operation- was taken by the StarReaders. They left the camp with the leader, Blanche, her daughter, Lune, two more StarReaders I didn't know and an Ivy Cat, a nervous looking pale gray she-cat with blue eyes."

"Cascade, probably," Jay muttered, seeing the flighty cat in her mind, she pushed the image away with a scowl.

"Whoever it was," Silver continued with a glare at her, "They didn't return for two days and Tansy and I decided to wait for Finch before we escaped. But when the patrol returned, Finch wasn't with them and the she-cat- Cascade, you called her?- looked like a different cat, she didn't look nervous at all and she seemed to almost tremble with power."

Jay frowned, Cascade was a frightened she-cat who hovered around Pine, trying to do all she could to please him. She lived in perpetual fear, probably since birth, it was so ingrained that not even among friends in the safety of the herb den did she ever relax. Silver was imagining it.

"Tansy went wild when she didn't see her mate and started screaming at the StarReaders. They tolerated it for a minute, then sent Cascade over. Tansy leaped at her, but the gray she-cat hit her once on the head and Tansy fell down, knocked out."

"Cascade crossed the stream and I approached Tansy, unsure if she were still alive. She was still breathing, but the StarReaders shouted me away before I could help her. I decided to wait for Tansy to wake up and then we'd escape together. My second mistake."

"But as soon as she woke up, they took her, Blanche and Lune accompanying, and another Ivy Cat followed them, this time an elderly black and white tom." _Pepper?_ Jay wondered, shocked, but she didn't interrupt this time. "This time I didn't wait, I didn't think Tansy was coming back. That night, I went behind the den to the hole that I'd seen that morning. It was filled, thicker than ever, and covered in rose thorns so that you'd have to tear your paws apart to get out."

"They knew," Amelia grumbled, "And that's why they were killing you. Taking you away so that no cat had to witness it, but any cat could guess."

Silver nodded, "That's the conclusion I came too as well. And when they returned the next day without Tansy and the old tom looking like he had tasted youth again, I guessed that they were having their 'selected' cats kill traitors to prove their loyalty. And I knew I'd be next."

"I didn't do anything after that, hardly ate. I kept waiting for them to come to me and I spent my days watching their side of the camp all day. But one day passed, then two, three and four, before I knew it half a moon had passed. I started to think that maybe they didn't know I had been a part of it. That they'd only seen Finch and Tansy."

"But then they did come for me, three cats had surrounded me before I could see what their intention was and I was herded over the stream back to the other side. My heart was pounding as I saw one of the cats, this time a former Python member and a close friend, Leaf."

"Leaf!" Jay exclaimed, the kind, slightly useless and slightly fat, cream she-cat couldn't murder any cat, that much she was sure of.

"I was shocked when I saw her, and she looked just as horrified, but we didn't even try to argue. But as we left the camp I knew I had a new determination, I didn't want to die, and I didn't want Leaf to have to kill any cat. Blanche was an old cat, so I didn't expect much trouble from her, and the two StarReaders accompanying us were chatting absentmindedly, the only trouble would be from Lune, I mean, she took down Python with one blow and it was so fast no one saw it happen."

"I decided to make a run for it, if I could outpace them, I could hide out in the mountains. We passed out from underneath the trees, the north-eastern mountains lay before us and there was a clear path for me to make my escape. Then Blanche said something strange to me, she told me, 'Tonight, you're going to be a gift in order to grant us what we want. And we are not fond of losing our gifts.'"

"I don't know how, but she must have known what I was planning, maybe it was a popular place to make a last break, when she had finished saying that Lune and the two other StarReaders leaped on me. My only concern was Lune and I focused on her, tripping her and sending her rolling as far away from me as possible. The other two scratched and bit at me, but with Lune safely away from me, I ran. They kept hard on my tail, but then Blanche called to them and they stopped, I don't know why she let me go, but she did and I manged to come back here after disguising my scent so that they couldn't follow me."

"Unfortunately, the wounds I received from that fight reopened some of my older wounds that weren't perfectly healed yet and sleeping out in the open probably didn't help them and before I knew it I was sick. I looked around for the herbs, trying to remember what they put on our wounds, but I couldn't find anything and I didn't want to stay in this haunted camp all alone, so I found that rock den and decided to die there. That's when you found me," Silver nodded at Jay.

"So that's your story," Jay mused, thinking it over. All in all, there wasn't much to learn from it. She'd known they'd separated the cats, and she still didn't know why. She had guessed that they may kill cats, but she still didn't know why, other then they disposed of traitors. There were too many unanswered questions, and then that one word kept bugging her.

She turned away from the others, eyes fixed on her shadow, "A gift is usually given to some cat, how can a cat be a gift? Are there still others? Are the cats not actually dead but just in a different place? But where?" she muttered to herself, and as she did, an image came to mind, a valley of slick stone and midnight-blue water that reflected the sky back up at her.

Jay turned back to the other cats that had been watching her expectantly, "I think we have to make a trip to the north-eastern mountain."


	28. Static

"Ow, ow, ow," Silver hissed as Jay rubbed marigold juice into her wounds, more forcefully than needed. "It doesn't usually hurt this much," the injured cat grumbled.

"I don't usually allow your wounds to get this bad, but you decided to go tramping all across the valley in the pouring rain yesterday, or had you forgotten?" Jay retorted, ducking back into the dark den to grab feverfew and stinging nettle. "Eat these," she ordered, passing off the leaves to the pale tabby.

Silver grabbed the herbs and chomped on them, nearly gagging at the taste. "Couldn't you do something about the taste?"

Jay's tail lashed, "Their purpose is to heal you, not to serve as a satisfying meal." The fur along her spine prickled as she once more turned into the herb den, tidying up her stacks on the shelf. After their meeting had finished in which Silver told the others about what had happened to her in concern the StarReaders, Jay had taken her away to treat her wounds while Midnight breathed more easily now that she knew her kits were alive and in no real danger.

That she knew of, at least. Jay had said that the kits were probably just being recruited, but Silver's dim gaze told her that there was something else going on. She hadn't told them everything. Jay exited the den and looked around, her kits were play-fighting over a scrap of squirrel fur and Silver was heading back over toward Midnight, who had her head raised to the sky, though she didn't seem to be watching the clouds.

Amelia was, of course, sleeping on her rock. Staying true to her decision not to do anything that day. Jay raced forward and intercepted Silver, dragging the growling she-cat behind one of the rocks where they were screened from the view of the rest of the camp.

"What?" Silver groaned, regarding her warily.

"Tell me what you wouldn't tell Midnight," Jay ordered sternly, looking down at the she-cat as she squirmed. "Did you think I wouldn't notice?" Jay sighed, looking at their shadows, how even in size they were.

Silver turned her head away and licked some ruffled shoulder fur, "I was hoping we could wait," she admitted, lowering her head. "While in the StarReaders' camp, I did hear some talk of ceremonies," the pale tabby murmured in a low voice.

Jay's tail twitched anxiously, "What sort of ceremonies?" The Clans had lots of harmless ceremonies, she didn't want to jump to conclusions.

"Ceremonies that take lives. I only heard it once, whispered between two StarReaders, they were talking about who would be used next, and they were looking at our side of the camp," Silver mewed.

"Do you think your comrades were used in these ceremonies?" Jay asked.

Silver shrugged, "I don't know. But don't you think that it was weird for the blind leader to go to those executions? Or to be clearly heading for a particular place?"

Jay shook her head, "Not necessarily, the leader exercised authority, and taking a life is a show of supreme authority. Whether or not that authority is just is another question entirely, but..."

"Then why go to the north-east mountain? That was clearly where we were headed," Silver hissed, ears flat against her head. "You have to admit, that part is suspicious. If you don't want any cat to see, there are easier places outside of their territory then a mountain of all places."

Jay turned away, frowning. "You were right to not say anything to Midnight. I still don't think there is any immediate concern, after all, they didn't kill any cat until they acted up. But I'll tell Amelia and we can keep an eye on the situation. For now, go get some rest."

She left Silver and headed for her own kits, spending the day playing and sleeping with them. She should have been carefree and happy with her kits, but she couldn't help but feel a sharp pang of guilt every time Midnight turned her ice-blue stare on her.

* * *

The cats passed the days in tense anxiety; Silver keeping mostly to her den, Midnight waiting anxiously for Amelia to return with news of her kits, and Jay gallantly ignoring both she-cats as she played with her own kits in the sandy clearing and occasionally taking them to see Crow.

It wasn't until the eve of the fourth day when Amelia had once again returned with assurance that the captive kits were fine that the black she-cat broke the silence on the matter. "We have to go to the north-east mountain tomorrow!" Midnight kneaded the ground with her paws, ears laid flat in worry.

Jay looked up from where she was eating with her kits, giving them a few pieces of soft food to try eating. Silver had paused amidst her washing and Amelia had peeked open an eye from where she laid on her rock, enjoying the warmth it had soaked up when it had been in the sunlight.

"Why?" Jay asked lightly, turning to her kits who were looking up at her with wide eyes. "Go play," she whispered gently, nudging them away as she stood up and walked over to the fluffy black she-cat, leading her away by the tail to the other side of the clearing near Amelia's rock. Silver stood up and trotted over to them.

"You know why!" Midnight cried, her blue eyes flicking between her and Amelia piteously. "My kits are still being held by the StarReaders, and you said we should go to that mountain!"

"Yes, speaking of which," Silver chirped in, "Why should we go to the mountain? I don't understand its importance."

Jay's tail twitched as she shot a glare at Silver, "That mountain holds its share of secrets, it is where the StarReaders used to live, after all. The more you know about your enemy, the better," she mewed lightly, there was no way she was mentioning the ceremonies again in front of Midnight, and Silver should have known better than to allude to the topic. But that was the real reason they should go there, uncovering the purpose of the ceremonies and finding the exact end of Silver's friends would give them a much greater understanding.

 _And I suppose this wouldn't be my first trip there, though now that the StarReaders aren't there, I might get past the edge of their territory._ "We must avoid the StarReaders' present territory at all costs. Amelia is keeping an eye on the kits and if you try a rescue with only half a mind you will either be caught or killed, or ruin any chance of a later rescue. So no heroics," Jay ordered, she wasn't blind, she could see that's what Midnight had wanted to do all along.

The black she-cat looked away, eyes brimming with pain. "Fine," she whispered, her voice cracking as she sucked in deep breaths.

"Good," Jay nodded, "Now what did you mean when you said 'we.'"

Midnight looked surprised, "I meant all four of us."

Jay gave a harsh laugh, or what could be taken as a laugh, "Not a chance. No way would I ever leave three kits atop a mountain alone for days."

Midnight's eyes hardened, "The three of us, then."

"You don't boss me around, fluffy," Amelia yawned, showing her sharp fangs, her amber eyes glowing like fire in the twilight. "And I won't be going back to that mountain ever again."

The long-furred she-cat looked taken aback, despair trickling back into her gaze. Silver laid her tail on Midnight's shoulder, "I will go with you," the tabby mewed softly, regarding the distraught queen compassionately. A sharp contrast to the flinty look she turned on Jay, "Do you have any problem with that?"

Jay shrugged, "No, no, go right ahead. I'm not your mother, do whatever you want." Now that she had Silver's story, the she-cat was next to useless to her and more of an annoyance, she wasn't sure why she allowed her to remain in the camp.

"We'll leave right now, then!" Midnight mewed. She was clearly anxious to do something, anything, that could help her kits, even when she didn't understand how.

"Why don't we leave first thing tomorrow morning?" Silver suggested, the sun was going down and traversing the mountain in the dark wasn't the smartest thing to do.

Midnight was finally convinced to wait until morning and she and Silver went to sleep in Silver's den after Jay applied more balm to the tabby's wounds, not wanting to wake up early to do it the next day.

Jay called to her kits and they came running, "Time to go to sleep. See? The stars are coming out," she mewed, pointing up at the mystic blue and purple sky where a few twinkling lights had appeared, a few clouds filling the sky with patches of black emptiness.

"But the sky is so pretty," Ice sighed, her eyes filled with awe as she took in the sight.

"It looks like this every night," Hail grumbled, jumping on his sister.

"Get off of me!" Ice hissed, shaking her brother off and hopping away, slowing and coming to a stop as she looked up at the sky again.

Flint yawned, "Come back here, Ice, time to go to sleep." Jay swept all three of her kits into their den and curled around them, allowing them to shift and get comfortable against her flank as she licked their fur gently.

Flint and Hail fell asleep quickly, but Ice didn't close her eyes for a long time. The kitten stared at the swath of sky that was visible from their den, but the green eyes gradually slid closed. "Hey mom?" Ice asked, sleepiness dragging at her voice.

"What is it?" Jay purred, the warmth of love filled her until she felt hazy.

"Will you be leaving us?" Ice asked.

Jay purred reassuringly, "No, I won't ever leave you or your brothers."

"Promise?" the blue-gray kit murmured, eyes closed.

Jay looked down at her three kits and then up at the dark night sky, fully black now with the illuminating light of moon and stars. "Of course."

* * *

When Jay woke the next morning, Silver and Midnight were gone. Amelia said that they'd left before dawn and they had left without saying a word. Jay didn't mind, in fact, she was a bit happy to spend the day alone with her kits.

She gave Amelia the day off and took the kits out with her to go hunting. "Wow! You're so good at that, mom," Hail mewed, sniffing the squirrel she'd caught and laid at the paws of her kits.

Jay purred and licked her chest fur, happy that her kits were impressed by her. "I want to learn how to do that!" Flint mewed, hopping around the fresh-kill, nose twitching in excitement.

"Me too!" Ice spoke up, green eyes shining as she looked at Jay.

The dark gray she-cat purred, "You're going to have to wait until you're a little bigger. Right now, the prey might not know who the real predator is," she mewed, angling with her ears at the squirrel that was larger than any one of her kits. "But I can teach you how you hunt," she mewed, inviting her kits into a small grass hollow where the ground was soft and the sky was blocked by branches full of red and orange leaves.

Her kits lined up, looking at her expectantly as they trembled in excitement. "Now," Jay mewed, settling into a hunter's crouch, "You've all seen me use this crouch, haven't you?"

Her kits nodded vigorously until their ears flapped. "But do you know what the most important thing to remember in hunting is?"

Hail shook his head and Ice glanced away. "To not let your prey see you?" Flint chirped up.

Jay inclined her head, "Yes, but it is more than just that. You can't let it see you, smell you, hear you, or sense you."

"Sense?" Ice frowned.

Jay nodded, "Most prey is more sensitive than we are; a mouse, shrew, squirrel, or vole will sense your paw-steps before they see or hear you. That's why when you stalk forward, you have to 'float' above the ground. Like this," Jay demonstrated by stalking over to the other side of the clearing, her steps so slight and fast that it felt like she hardly brushed the ground.

"Let me try it!" Flint mewed, jumping into a crouch and stalking forward with fast little paw-steps.

Jay purred, he was leaning too much on his forepaws and his rump was sticking in the air. His steps, although quiet, were so fast and low that it sounded like he was sliding over the ground. Ice snorted, "You look stupid."

Flint sat up and shot a glare at his sister, "Let's see you do any better," he challenged.

Ice sniffed and folded her tail over her paws, "I won't try to do something just because you told me to."

"What about you, Hail?" Jay encouraged, watching her more tentative kit slip into a hunters crouch. He was far more balanced than Flint and his steps were as soundless as a stepping shadow. But he moved too slow, his prey would have long run away before he reached it.

"You looked great, Hail!" Flint told his brother, dark eyes shining as Hail shifted his paws in embarrassment.

"Nicely done," Jay purred and Hail purred back. "Alright, Ice," she called, looking across the clearing at her gray daughter, "Your turn to join us."

Ice reluctantly slid into a hunters crouch, she almost had it right, her fore paws were only a little too far apart. But her pace was good, and although Jay could hear her steps, it was a good start. Another thing she noticed was that, contrary to Flint, she leaned too far back on her hindquarters, almost as if she were trying too hard not to repeat Flint's mistake.

"Who looks stupid now," Flint scoffed as Ice reached them. The little she-kit glared at him and he glared back.

"Learning how to hunt is something that takes practice, you're not going to get it on your first try," Jay soothed. The two kits looked away from each other, fur still ruffled. "Let's go back to camp, and you can practice more there," she mewed, grabbing her squirrel and leading her trio of kittens back to the sandy clearing.

After eating, the warm sunlight coupled with the playful breeze to lull her kits to sleep in the open den. Jay curled down around them, watching a few drifting leaves shaken from their tree by the wind. Her thoughts and concerns far apart from those of Midnight. She knew it, and she felt guilty.

Although she didn't mean to sleep, she was awoken by the riled up voices of the two returning she-cats. She lifted her head as Amelia stalked over to meet them at the edge of the clearing. Jay yawned, sniffing the air and determined that nothing terrible had happened since there was an absence of the scent of blood and fear.

Her kits were awoken by the excitement as well and they gathered at the edge of the den to look out at the scene. Jay stood up and waved her tail in front of them, "Stay here," she ordered gently, hopping out and heading for the cluster of cats at the other end of the clearing.

"What happened?" her cold voice cut through the heat of their chatter.

Amelia glanced at her and took a step back, "You better tell her," she grunted at Silver.

The tabby nodded, turning to the expectant Jay, "When we went to the north-eastern mountain we were able to find a path that led into the mountains. But when we reached the top there was a ravine with a large stone archway and it was black-out dark past it, when we stepped past it..." Silver trailed off and shook her head in confusion.

Midnight stepped forward, "We don't know what happened, the next thing we can remember is waking up in the valley, outside of StarReader territory, it was terrifying!"

Silver waved Midnight back, "But we were unhurt, except for a few trembles. Based on where the sun was, I would estimate we were unconscious for half a day. We decided to come straight back here and see if you knew anything."

Jay frowned, it was similar to what had happened to her and Amelia, but she had been sure that it was the StarReaders that had done it, she remembered fighting cats anyways. Did this confirm her suspicion that not all the StarReaders were down in the valley, but that some remained in the mountain? And she still didn't know why no cat remembered anything past a certain point, and if the StarReaders were recruiting any cat, why throw them out? Why allow Silver, a fugitive, leave alive?

There were too many questions and Jay could feel that this was going to be mess if she tried to go in and unravel everything. It was too precarious of a situation, now more than ever she wanted to stay out of it.

"There was something else, the scent on us when we woke up," Silver was mewing, a perplexed frown on her face. "I recognized it, whoever carried us out of the mountain, I know I've met them before."

Midnight looked startled, "Did you? I didn't even notice any scent."

Silver ignored her, "But I don't know who it could be." She looked at Amelia and Jay, as if she expected them to know. Jay took a step forward and sniffed Silver's pelt. There was indeed a foreign cat scent that clung desperately to her fur, but it was too weak to be distinguished past being a cat.

"I can't tell who it is, but that's beside the point. We were lucky this time that you came back, there will be no more trips to that mountain. Amelia will continue to watch the kits and we'll wait here," Jay mewed, turning away.

"Wait for what?" Silver asked sharply. "For the kits to die? For them to forget about their own mother? How long are you going to leave Midnight in anguish until you're satisfied?!"

Jay's tail twitched, "I'm waiting for Midnight to figure out how to save her kits without dying. You should be helping her come up with something instead of accusing me," she growled, stomping away toward her kits.

"Mom? Is everything alright?" Hail asked as she returned, his green eyes round and worried.

Jay purred reassuringly, "Of course, everyone came back safe and sound. Why don't you three go play before it gets dark?" The three kits raced out into the clearing, the gray shadows of dusk fading their figures into the background. Jay watched them, keeping an eye on Midnight and Silver who looked as if they were desperately trying to think up something.

Midnight buried her face in her paws like her kit, Panther; a wail of misery came from her that sent a chill down Jay's spine. Silver glanced at her angrily and Jay looked away, laying on her stomach with her paws folded neatly underneath her, eyes stubbornly fixed on her kits that continued to play in mirth, but her own stomach was churning in turmoil.

"If you're feeling so awful, go do something," Amelia's growl came from above her and Jay looked up to see the black she-cat perched neatly on the top of her den.

Jay looked away with a flash of annoyance, couldn't they leave her out of their problems? "I have no responsibility in this," she mewed in a hard, final, voice.

Amelia was silent for a moment, "Is that what you really think?" Her growl dripped with scorn and Jay inadvertently felt ashamed. "You were more than a little involved when the StarReaders came out victorious in a battle that you orchestrated. And you have a responsibility toward both Silver and Midnight now, if you want to play leader, you have to go all the way."

"I'm not playing leader," Jay growled.

"No? You bark orders at every cat, you think they'll continue like this if you don't step up and fulfill the whole role? And what will your kits think? That their mother is a bossy coward? Too worried about her own peace to bother with anyone else?"

Jay jumped up, a snarl on her face, "You cannot say that I'm doing this for me! Everything I've done has been for my kits!"

"No," Amelia jumped down, facing her with fangs barred, "It hasn't all been for your kits, but for you. Even your kits are for you. We both know that you need them far more than they need you."

Jay's flattened her ears, arching her back, "I'm their mother! Of course they need me!"

"Any cat could feed them by this age, any cat could keep them warm and safe and happy. But for you, no other kits but yours would do. It seems motherhood hasn't taught you anything but how to be even more selfish! You don't care a rat's tail for Midnight's situation! You don't even have empathy for the agony she lives through, though it wasn't that long ago you were in the same position as her."

Jay's gaze was growing foggy, her eyes were fixed on Amelia's throat, a roar filled her ears and she could almost see the pulse in the neck of the black cat in front of her. A pulse she had simply to pop and it'd be over. "Your kits are watching," Amelia's cold voice cut through the noise and she stiffened, the blood-lust floating away like fog on a breeze.

Jay took a step back, straightening up and sheathing her claws. Taking a deep breath she regained control of her senses. "Amelia, let's take a walk," she mewed, noticing that her kits were looking scared and Midnight and Silver had stopped to watch them with wide eyes.

For the first time, Jay didn't care to comfort her kits, but left without a word and with the black she-cat trailing behind her. "I can't believed you were honestly thinking about killing me," Amelia complained loudly when they were out of sight and earshot of the camp.

"I wasn't really thinking about it, just assessing all my options," Jay mewed smoothly, the fresh evening air cooled her head and Amelia's attitude change had helped as well to quickly switch her tone. "But back to your point. I'm not going to change me mind, whether everything is for my kits or for me, I want to keep my peace and theirs. I'm sorry for Midnight, but she has to help herself like I had to do."

"But Midnight isn't like you, she won't be able to figure anything out on her own," Amelia pointed out.

"I know that, but I don't know how to rescue the kits either. It sounds like they are being held captive under full guard. Smuggling three kits out would be impossible," Jay shook her head, "There's no cheap trick for this."

"I'm sure if you really tried you could think of something," Amelia yawned.

"Or maybe you have too much faith in me," Jay snorted, stopping as they came to the edge of the trees and the mountain and looked out over the gray peaks. "Midnight may never get her kits back, and she'll just have to deal with that."

They sat in silence as the gray light totally took over the mountains. "Oh yeah," Jay mewed, thinking back to it. "You said that I orchestrated the battle which put the StarReaders in power. I have to disagree, I only played a major part because Ash meddled, and I'm sure that it was only because of Ash that the StarReaders were there at all. So, it is really Ash's responsibility. But I guess he's dead," Jay purred, her tail curling.

"Jay, I thought you had noticed," Amelia's voice was low and serious, it chilled Jay's mirth and she glanced at the amber-eyed cat. "Did you really not recognize the scent on Silver and Midnight's fur?"

Jay shook her head, already tensing to learn what Amelia had caught. "That cat scent, it was Ash's."


	29. Rematch

The black speckled red leaves hung dark against the pale gray morning sky. The hush of the night still laid undisturbed over the mountainside. A few bats swooped across the sky on their way to sleep and the soft whisper of falling leaves caressed the ground as they skidded by on the wind. The whole of nature filled the background silence with a murmuring rumble, like a creature waiting to wake up.

Jay's sharp paw-steps struck out against that silence. The worried twitch of her fur made it look like she was being bothered by a fly but her dark blue eyes held a graver concern as she stalked across the brown ground. She'd been out pacing the mountainside all night, and she couldn't have told any cat where she'd been if she had wanted.

Since Amelia had told her that she'd smelled Ash's scent on the two she-cats, Jay's head had been in turmoil. She could see all too clearly the image in her mind, but it wasn't the image of how she'd last seen him, bloody and torn and gasping in his final breaths. No, she saw him smirking, a deceitful light in his eye as he stole her kits and pride as a strategist.

Jay's tail lashed and a snarl erupted out of pure agitation. Surviving certain death was exactly the sort of thing he'd do without her knowing. But how could he even be alive?! She had fatally wounded him, she knew that much. No cat would have gotten to him soon enough, and certainly he would have reaped the reward of his efforts of cooperation with the StarReaders and Amelia would have noticed him before now.

Jay took a breath of the cool, light air and strove to calm herself. Amelia could have been mistaken, after all, she hadn't recognized Ash's scent, and she'd spent an intimate moon with him. Midnight hadn't noticed it either even when it was fresh, and he was the father of her kits!

 _No, it was probably just a cat from the Ivy Cats, they all smell similar, Amelia was imagining it._ That's what she'd been telling herself all night, but she wasn't buying into it. Amelia was never wrong when it came to this sort of thing and if any cat could have survived and spent two moons out of her radar, it was Ash.

Jay scowled, sitting down on a patch of moss and then standing up, continuing to stalk across the mountainside forest. So, if she assumed Ash was alive and playing a part with the StarReaders, what did she do? Send Amelia to find him and then kill him again? No, she didn't want to put any cat at risk and she now knew that he was a level beyond her own cunning.

 _What to do..._ Jay looked up at the sky, it was glowing yellow to the east but the sun had yet to appear. A wave of exhaustion swamped her and she turned, head and tail down, back toward camp without actually thinking about where she was.

Surely there was something she could do without putting anyone in harm's way? Specifically, without putting her or her kits in harm's way. When she returned to the camp, her kits raced toward her, their tails in the air and their eyes wide.

"Mother! Where did you go?"

"Mom, why didn't you come back last night?"

"I'm hungry!"

Jay purred and comforted her them as they mewled about her paws, crawling beneath her belly and bouncing in front of her so that she nearly tripped over them with every step. She headed back to their den, utterly exhausted by her mind and night wanderings. Luckily, it didn't seem her kits had slept well either, and after a bit of nursing they fell asleep in her belly curve.

Jay closed her eyes, but her thoughts kept returning to that one question, what did she do? She blinked open her eyes as she heard paw-steps padding closer and opened her eyes to see Amelia standing over her, "Did you decide what to do yet?"

Jay laid back her ears and looked away, an irksome scowl on her face. "No, I still don't want to do anything."

"But you admit that you have to do something," Amelia answered. Jay sighed and stared at the sandy-colored rock ceiling of her den.

"I suppose," she sighed tiredly. "Going to the north-eastern mountain myself sounds like a waste of time, visiting other rogues again won't help, I don't know where Ash is, or if he's really alive."

"He is," Amelia put in.

Jay growled and glared at her, "I'm sure he is. But I still don't know where he's at. I don't know the mountains like he does, but I'd say it is a pretty safe bet that he's somewhere in StarReader territory."

"There you go, comb the area over and you'll find something," Amelia yawned.

"It isn't that simple! They have a big territory, it'd take several days to look everywhere while at the same time avoiding being caught. I can't do that to my kits."

"But you can do that to me," Amelia grumbled.

"Are you volunteering?" Jay snapped, the black she-cat quickly shook her head and the gray queen laid back with a sigh. "I won't make you do everything alone, I'm not that horrible," Jay muttered, closing her eyes. "What are Silver and Midnight doing?" she asked, cracking open an eye.

"They're over there, you can't see them from where you are," Amelia mewed, gesturing with her tail over to her left where the den's wall curved around them. "Coming up with strategies, it seems."

Jay snorted, "Anything good?"

"Some pretty amusing ones, but no, none worth mentioning," Amelia mewed, whiskers twitching.

The gray cat sighed again and laid her chin on her paws, "I need to sleep, I'll think more about it later," she mumbled. And as she listened to Amelia's retreating pawsteps, she did fall asleep, but it was very dark and very loud.

* * *

By evening Jay had come to a conclusion. A conclusion she'd been avoiding for the past moon. She'd have to go down to the valley herself. She would go see the StarReader's camp for herself, she'd see the condition of Midnight's kits, she'd investigate Ash's supposed existence. All this for the sake of her peace and that of those around her. Her conscience would be soothed and Midnight and Silver would be reassured.

But she didn't want to make the other cats think she was completely committed to getting Midnight's kits back yet. Depending on what she'd find, she would forgo any further actions unless the kit's lived depended on it. And that, only if Midnight knew.

Jay devised to leave that night, hurry quickly through the valley and return back to her kits before sun-high. She told Amelia when the black she-cat brought her some food at dusk and the black cat looked pleased as she agreed to keep an eye over the kits and the rest of the camp.

Because her kits had slept most of the afternoon, they didn't fall asleep until nearly moon-high and Jay refused to leave as long as they were awake, though she told them that she'd be going out early in the morning for some hunting so that they wouldn't worry when they woke up and found her gone.

By the light of the moon, Jay crept out of camp, Amelia at her side like a shadow. The black she-cat only went as far as the tunnels and said not a word as Jay climbed into the tight space, her belly pressed against the cold stone floor.

"If I'm not back by dusk tomorrow, assume that I'm dead or have been captured, only you can leave this mountainside if that happens," Jay mewed sharply. Under no condition did she want her kits left alone on the mountain or Midnight to ruin anything by going into a frenzy. "Also, don't tell Midnight or Silver unless that happens. I'll tell them what I did when I get back, but no need for them to scare the kits by talking about it," Jay added, hesitating.

Amelia didn't respond, but walked away, a soft ripple of mirth vibrating from her throat. "Sure thing, I look forward to having a day in which you run all over creation and I stay in the safe, warm camp for once."

Jay rolled her eyes and headed further into the dark, passing through the tunnel quickly in her haste and coming out upon the other side of the mountain. The moon's light was more direct on this side and lit up the gray path as bright as day for Jay.

She checked the mountain air for strange scents as she went along, her eyes snapping to every shadow in case any creature were watching her. But it was a quiet night, the cold had chased most creatures deep into their dens and Jay could see her breath against the midnight sky when she turned her muzzle up to look at the stars.

"Please, keep them safe," she whispered, wondering if any of her ancestors could hear her. Down in the valley, she was amazed to see that the landscape was already so changed by the cold. Usually the area around the bottom of the eastern mountain was swampy with patches of rushes, mud, and dozens of little stream crisscrossing through it.

But the cold had drained the water and the rushes were withered and low, allowing Jay to see far into the distance where a dark shadow covered the land. The StarReaders territory lay in that forest. Jay braced herself and launched into a run, keeping low and fast and taking a zigzag path as she spurted from one patch of covering to another.

Taking such an indirect route wore on her energy and made it take longer, but it would make it harder for any cat to watch her approach. As she came nearer to the edge of the forest so that she could see the individual branches half'-clothed in dying leaves, a fresh cat scent hit her.

She dove for a bunch of drying brown heather as soon as she smelled it, and held her breath, waiting for her thumping heart-beat to slow as she cautiously peered out between the brown stems. A cat's silhouette wound its way down the line of trees, disappearing into the shadows before reappearing in splotches of moonlight further down the line.

Jay took a deep breath of the air, trying to smell beyond the heather and the heavy StarReader scent. Closing her eyes she shifted through the tastes on her tongue and realized that this cat was a rogue, but what was a rogue doing on the StarReader border in the middle of the night?

With a low growl, Jay slunk forward, keeping carefully to the shadows while also keeping the silhouette in her sights. The figure paused by a pool of rain water and bent its head down to lap up a few mouthfuls. Jay sprinted toward it while it was distracted and as it lifted its head in surprise, flicking droplets of water from its whiskers, Jay sprang and hit it in the chest, throwing them both backwards.

Keeping a tight grip on the cat's fur, she shoved its muzzle against the ground to muffle any noise but she didn't greatly injure it, not wanting to make it become desperate. "Be quiet if you want to see the sun again," Jay growled in its ear.

The tom, for it was a tom cat, and one on the younger side at that, froze when she spoke and with its head facing the dirt, tried to see who had him pinned on his side. Jay caught the glimpse of brown eyes and she took a deep breath of the cat's scent.

"Not you, Adder," Jay groaned, recognizing the young yellow tom with white markings. He must have recognized her as well, for he was struggling under her hold but didn't make a sound when he got his mouth clear of the ground.

The dark gray she-cat hopped off of him, her muscles tense in case he tried anything. She didn't know him that well, after all. Adder raised himself to his paws and kept his back to her, smoothing down his ruffled fur with quick strokes from his tongue.

Then he faced her, brown eyes narrowed and glinting like black stars in poor silver light. "What are you doing here in the middle of the night?" he asked her, his voice reserved and unfriendly.

Jay flattened her ears, "I should be the one asking you that, you're younger than me, after all."

"That doesn't matter, and you avoided the question," Adder mewed coolly.

Jay's whiskers twitched, either in ire or amusement she wasn't quite sure. "My business is my own, I'm sure you feel the same. But I will tell you that I'm looking for the StarReader's camp."

"It isn't here," the tom responded. Jay felt like clawing his ears.

"So I see," she mewed instead. "That's what I was on my way to do when I spotted you."

"Did you really have to tackle me? Could you not tell that I wasn't a StarReader?"

Jay flattened her ears, "I didn't recognize you at first, so no. And you could have been a threat even if you weren't a StarReader. But if you don't mind, and assuming you're not going to try to get in my way, I'm very, very busy," she mewed, turning away and stepping closer to the border.

"Ah! No, wait a moment," Adder protested, darting in front of her path. "I'm not going to stop you," he promised as she glared at him and unsheathed her claws. "I can take you to their camp if you want. I was going to go there anyways."

Jay regarded him in silence for a moment, "That's a difficult offer for me the accept when I don't really know who you are or what you were doing out here."

"You don't need to worry, you can trust me," he assured her. Jay's ears flicked, was he being naive on purpose to make her trust him, or was he like that because he was young? _I know I was never that naive, but who knows_. If he tried anything, she had proven that she was more than a match for him.

"Alright," she nodded, "Lead me to their camp."

Adder nodded and leaped into the shadows, Jay on his heels. She tried to ignore the fact that she was allowing a stranger to lead her into enemy territory, an enemy she had no real knowledge of. "Are we almost there?" she whispered after they had traversed for awhile in silent darkness.

"Shh! Yes, we're almost there. But we're getting to the place where they usually keep a guard," Adder warned, the edgy fear in his voice comforted Jay, she didn't think he was leading her into a trap anymore. Jay slunk against the cool wood of an aspen tree, looking around at a lone stump in a tiny pool of moonlight. There was a cat sitting there, its fur fluffed up against the cold and its head sunk into its chest. It looked half asleep.

"Do we take it out?" Jay whispered, determining which path was the best to take to reach the stump without alerting the cat on top of it.

"What? No!" Adder hissed, "We'll go around him." He led her in a wide loop around the guard and then sighed, "They keep a few guards in a circle formation around the camp. They rotate around at times, so you can never be sure where exactly they are. But usually if that cat is on the log, the others are at their own posts because it takes longest for that cat to make it to the next post, so he usually leaves first," Adder explained in an under voice.

Jay nodded, but didn't really pay attention, she could smell a heavy cat scent from up ahead and all her senses were directed toward what must be the camp. "There are a bunch of beech trees along the stream, it is easy to see the whole camp from one of them and they can't see you," Adder murmured.

Jay's ears twitched, she could hear the rippling mirth of the stream as it ran smoothly along its slick banks, like a snake slipping through the grass. Adder blocked her path as they came to the edge of the stream, "Can you see the camp?" he breathed.

Jay nodded, a movement so slight it could barely be seen in the shadows. Patchwork patterns of moonlight wound their way along the stream, taking advantage of the thinning leaf cover to shine even brighter. "Come on," Jay whispered, brushing past Adder to stretch her paws up the trunk of the beech tree they were sheltered under.

"What are you-" Adder didn't finish his question as she leaped up to the lowest branch. Beech trees often had low branches that grew out almost horizontally. It would be simpler to walk the rest of the distance in the cover of the trees. She waited for Adder to join her and he did, after a few moments of hesitation.

She wagered from the way he dug his claws into the thick bark and how his shoulders tensed that he wasn't used to climbing trees, even though he had told her you had to climb one to see the camp only a moment ago. "Relax, you're more likely to fall of trembling like a leaf."

Adder glared at her, the first spark of fire she'd seen in his brown eyes. "Keep your joking for yourself, why can't we just walk on the ground till we get there?"

"This is safer, if you'd keep your voice down, that is. See, we're perfectly screened and no cat will think to look up. Besides, walking on a branch like this is as simple as walking down a line," Jay mewed, turning and stalking along the dark branch.

"I can't hardly see where I'm putting my paws, and if I fall they'll definitely hear us," the young tom muttered.

"Then just follow me," Jay whispered, "No more talking," she added as they passed into the next tree, the transfer being only a longer than normal step.

When they were safely perched overhead the camp, Jay went about finding where all the cats were and making sure their position was safe. As most cats were in their den and the two guards were struggling to keep themselves awake, dutifully looking around the edges of camp every few minutes, she dismissed them as a problem unless they made a lot of noise.

Adder leaned forward, brown eyes searching the shadows for something. Jay was looking for something as well. The camp was exactly as Silver and Amelia had described it, it was split right down the middle by the stream and on the grassy side the land rose in a gentle sweep with colorful flowers and patches of clovers, surrounded by a thick gorse barrier laced with graceful ivy and bluebell vines. The dens were large looking and dark, well-insulated she was sure. Finally,it sported two large entrances, one near the stream and one at the top of the hill that gave it an open feel.

The other side, however, was caked in dry mud and dirt. The gorse barrier was covered with brambles and with a single den that let in shafts of light. A few cats slept outside, as if it didn't matter. Jay recognized Grass sleeping besides a shaggy brown tom with a white tail tip, she thought his name was Ragwort. They looked skinnier than before, they had clearly lost a lot of muscle and a little weight. But they weren't harmed and they slept soundly.

There were no entrances on that side of the camp, or more precisely, no exits. The closest opening was the side open to the stream, and there was a guard sitting near the stream, his eyes fixed on the other side. As expected, she couldn't see the kits, they were probably inside the den with the elders. But she could smell them; mixed within the rank scent of cat and dirt, the fading milkiness of kit-hood.

She tried to estimate how many cats there were on the StarReader side based on scent alone, but it was impossible. Many cats though, probably somewhere between one and two Clan's worth of cats. A prickle of annoyance filled her as she watched the guard yawn, struggling to keep up his resistance against sleep. This wasn't telling her anything that she didn't already know, why had she felt so possessed to come here herself? _Oh, that's right._

Ash. It was because of him that she was here now. But she hadn't smelled his scent among the multitude of others. She was done here, now it was time to move on to the real hunt. "Are you finished here?" Jay barely breathed. Adder responded by turning and retracing the path through the twisting branches and Jay followed.

When they had reached the ground again, they stood in silence for a few moments, looking toward the dark shadow of the camp. "We should leave before our scent is noticed," Adder mewed, looking around with quick glances.

"Go ahead, I have something else to do," Jay whispered, starting off back into the woods, heading in the opposite direction of the way they'd come.

"Wait!" Adder hissed, bounding up to her, brown eyes flashing nervously, "You can't go that way."

"Why not?" Jay growled, the night was waning, it'd be morning before long and she hadn't even started looking for Ash.

"That's the way..." Adder trailed off for a moment before resuming in a stronger tone, "There's a white she-cat with pale violet eyes, she wanders around at night on that side of the territory. It's hard to track her and she can surprise you in a heartbeat."

Jay peered around at the shadows, a white cat? She could picture in her mind the time when she and Ash had stumbled upon a ghostly creature. To think it had been a StarReader scouting the territory was an all too real possibility, but she still felt that Ash's surprise had been real, at least to a point.

Jay frowned, that didn't matter right now. "I'll be careful," she muttered, brushing past the young tom. But he didn't give up, blocking her path again as he raced in front of her.

"What do you need to do? Maybe I can just tell you, I've been hanging around for a while now," he added.

Jay considered that; true, she wouldn't simply accept his word and walk away. But if he could give her some direction to head in, some hint to follow, she may make it back to her home in time. "Alright, I'll ask you. Do you know where a tom named Ash could be?"

Adder looked startled, "You want to know where he is?"

"So you know him!" Jay purred with a sarcastic edge, "Good, tell me where he is."

Adder shuffled his paws, "Well, I wouldn't say that I know him, more that I know of him."

"Not what I asked, where is he? Where can I find him?" Jay pressed.

Adder's eyes widened, "I don't know why you want to find him, but from everything I've gathered, you're better of not messing with him."

"Hush, kit, I know all that! Just tell me where he is right now!" she pressed impatiently.

Adder shook his head, "He works for the StarReaders, but they aren't on good terms with each other so he doesn't come to the camp ever. He hangs out around the northern mountainside and meets with them every so often, there's a cave behind an ivy curtain where he spends most of his nights."

Jay purred, of course, he had remained safe at his home after selling out all his kin. "Thank you, Adder," she purred, "If you ever need anything, come find me." She waved her tail and slipped away from him, sliding through the shadow infested forest with relative ease.

Adder didn't try to follow her and she didn't see hide nor hair of the white she-cat, whom she assumed was either the leader of the StarReaders or her daughter, Lune, she thought Silver said. The light was hinting at gray when she came to the base of the northern mountain.

The tiny stream trickled steadily down the side of the mountain, the path looked less-worn than usual, and the ivy curtain shifted slightly as it was stroked by the cool touch of the wind. With a cold hard rock of determination in her belly, Jay started up that hill that she hadn't traversed since she'd brought her kits home.

It felt nostalgic in a way, but not a warm, welcoming one you got when you slept close to your parents after you'd grown up. This was a ghastly, foreboding one, like that of walking through an old battlefield still streaked with blood and littered with the bones of long forgotten warriors, knowing that only coldness and death awaited you.

As she slipped under the stream and slid her paws over the dappled gray stone, she breathed in the thick scent of the cave. The cat scent had seeped out already, overlaid by the smell of rock, dirt, and water as the cave returned to nature.

But there was a more recent cat scent and before Jay had taken more then five steps into the cave, her eyes lit upon a dark corner of the cave. She recognized the corner where she and Ash had often sat together at evenings, reluctantly enjoying each others company as they lavished their insults on the cats that inhabited the cave.

And there lay Ash now. Curled tightly with his orange tail covering his nose and his eyes softly closed. A small pile of prey bones littered the ground around him and although he sported no open wounds, it didn't seem like he was washing regularly.

The sight of him could have turned her stomach, made her kill him on the spot, or caused her to faint with despair. But she stood there, looking at him, hardly thinking, hardly breathing. The sun rose and light streamed in behind her. She remained still, watching it slowly creep across the floor until it reached Ash's corner.

As it touched the first hair on his pelt he opened his eyes, the sharp gray eyes were lit with full alertness and intelligence. As she'd suspected, he hadn't really been sleeping at all. "Jay," he yawned, stretching and rolling over, scratching his head and back against the stone, as insolent as always. "So good of you to come, I thought you might come soon."

"I know," she answered warily, squaring up her shoulders. Now that she knew Ash was alive, it was no doubt that he'd allowed his scent to remain on Midnight and Silver's fur to draw her here. It was time for a rematch of wits against each other, and this time, she was determined to win.


	30. Draw

Jay and Ash faced each other across the stone gray cave. Rays of sunlight crept in beneath the ivy curtain and the light that filtered in through the ivy curtain glowed upon the gray surfaces, green as moss on the cave walls. The tireless twittering of birds could be heard, announcing to all the world what a succulent breakfast they would make.

But neither cat was interested in breakfast. Jay stared at Ash, driving all her hate, disdain, and humiliation into one fine point to use against him. And he watched her, gray eyes that held not a hint of fear despite how she had proved she was the superior fighter in a match. He held her below him, his condescension for her seemed limitless.

"I suppose you wanted me to come here for a reason," Jay's voice was swathed in a gray tone, she would not express any emotion despite what she felt inside. A raging wildfire of anger, she wanted nothing more than to cut him down for good.

Ash nodded, his tail waving behind him in a slow, rhythmic motion. "I thought it was time we met up again. We have much to discuss," he inclined his head and stepped toward her.

Jay didn't respond, not a hair on her pelt twitched as he stopped, standing only a tail-length away, the sunlight turning his fur a blazing orange, but his eyes remained listless. "I'm sure by this point you know about the StarReaders, namely their present situation and their goal." Jay grunted and he continued. "And I'm sure you're also aware I was working with them the whole time and that I knew your plans never had a chance."

"And yet they worked," Jay mewed.

Ash's eyes snapped angrily, "What are you talking about? The mountains are not a peaceful place for your kits, and certainly not for you, that was your goal."

Jay's whiskers twitched, "No, I can't abide boredom. I knew that whether Python or the Ivy Cats won, there would be no peace. My goal was simply to find a safe place for my kits, and I found that."

"Yes," Ash mewed dryly, "You're hiding out in Python's old haunt. But surely you're not stupid enough to think that it is anything but a temporary solution. No cat can could survive a cold season on that mountainside."

"I have my own plans," Jay cut in coldly. "Now what do you want?"

Ash took a step back, regaining his composure. "From you? Nothing."

Jay's ears went flat against her head, "Then why have me come here?"

Ash shook his head, "You misunderstood. Nothing is what I want from you. No interfering, no getting involved. I want you to remain outside of this valley for as long as I live."

Jay's ears twitched, "That could happen a lot quicker than you might imagine," she mewed, opening her jaws and unsheathing her claws.

"Don't bother, I may die, but from here one of the StarReaders will hear me and they'll find you, or at least your scent trail. And then you'll lose your hideout," Ash mewed disdainfully.

Jay didn't tell him he was underestimating her, she could slice his throat before he saw it coming. But it was in her best interest to let him believe he was in control, after all, she'd lost last time because she'd thought she was in control.

"Your request was for me to stay out of your business," Jay mewed slowly, "But I haven't set paw in the valley for a moon until last night."

"True, but you were sending Silver and Midnight here. I'm not concerned about what they might do, but so long as they're taking your orders, you're involved," the orange tom's tail lashed.

Jay felt a cold inkling down her spine, "I don't suppose you would believe me if I told you I never told them to come here. Or that you'd believe why they've been coming down here on their own," she added with a snarl, it dripped with disgust and Ash's gaze sharpened.

"They're trying to rescue all the captured cats. At least all of Python's cats," he mewed, confidence underlying every word.

"Nice try, but no," Jay growled, her tail lashing in her first sign of agitation. "They're trying to rescue Midnight's kits. _Your_ kits."

It felt like everything became open at that moment. Ash's surprise made his facade crumble, for but a moment Jay saw a glimpse of emotions she'd never seen him show. Fear, despair, guilt, surprise, more fear, it was like looking at a rippling pool, you could see the image but it changed so fast you didn't register that you saw it.

But he recovered himself and anger took hold of his outward expression, "How dare you assert something so outrageous?!"

Jay's tail's lashed as she thrust her nose in his face, "Did you even know about them? Did you even care? Or did you just toss them aside like you did with the rest of your family," she mewed contemptuously. "We may be alike, but I would never abandon my own kits."

Ash's ears flattened, "I have no kits, I don't love Midnight."

"But you used her, didn't you? Stole something precious from her and threw it away the next day. You didn't even think to look at her again, did you," she accused, staring fiercely into Ash's eyes. "And now those kits are being held captive by your allies, while their mother cries herself to sleep every night and goes half mad with longing."

Ash squared his shoulders and set his jaw, "Even if I believed they were my kits. What do you expect me to do? They don't know who I am, Midnight never tried to tell me anything. There's no reason why I should do anything," but his tone was edged with guilt.

He knew what she was talking about, and was pretending he had no idea so as to protect himself. That may work for some cats, but Jay knew he was too smart to be buying his own lies. "You go see them today, then. Your daughter has your eyes, it'll be easy to see that she doesn't deserve to die for the StarReader's craziness."

Ash flinched visibly this time, "So you know about that," he muttered. Jay's eyes lit up in surprise, this must be really be getting to him if he was making such rookie mistakes.

"Of course," she mewed disdainfully, though she had only the faintest idea.

Ash looked away, the green light of the ivy glowed upon his gray eyes, "It seems we've met a sort of agreement," he mewed after a few moments, completely recovered from the shock of learning he was a father.

"It seems so," Jay mewed, following what he was saying. She had known what he was trying to do and he had known what she was trying to do. This match was a draw.

"I won't tell the StarReaders where you're living and I'll help rescue Midnight's kits. And you will not interfere any further with the situation. Is it agreed?" Ash asked.

Jay stared at him, here she was again, entering into an agreement with him. Images flashed in her mind, his betrayal, losing her kits, the agony in her chest she could still feel clearly. Was she really going to allow him to walk away from her again? Was she going to work with him again? Her belly twisted, for the sake of his help in rescuing Midnight's kits, she would let him live for now.

"Yes," she mewed, nodding her head. "We're in this together again."

* * *

"Not only did you find Ash, but you enlisted his help in rescuing Midnight's kits?!" Amelia looked liked she could die happy now, amusement shaking her ribs as she tried to keep a straight face. "You never cease to surprise me. Coming along with you was the best choice I ever made!" Amelia laughed, her dark chuckles falling on Jay's scowl.

"I'm not happy about it," the gray queen growled, her tail flicking behind her. She'd left Ash as quickly as she could and made her way back to the eastern mountain, meeting Amelia at the bottom of the mountain path because it had been well past sun-high. Clouds rolled in on a cool breeze and crowded the sky over with their gray bellies.

Jay had told Amelia what had happened last night and that morning, on their way back up the mountain and had at last told her about the deal she'd made with Ash as they emerged from the tunnels. "We're going to be meeting up every now and then to discuss things," she growled, cringing at the thought of having to lay eyes on him.

Amelia purred, "I was sure you would rip his throat out the second you saw him again."

Jay sighed, starting tiredly down the sandy trail through the dying and curling plants. "Things are best this way. Ash will help rescue Midnight's kits and will leave us alone so long as we don't get involved any further than rescuing the kits."

"Your laziness is incredible," the black she-cat commented.

Jay whipped her head around the glare at her, she had been awake for nearly a whole day, hadn't eaten in that long, and felt like her legs were about to fall off. Being called lazy was the last thing she wanted to hear. "I mean," Amelia went on, catching the pointed look, "Is that you would rather collaborate with a cat you despise rather than rescue the kits all on your own."

Jay shrugged, facing her head forward again. "This is the safest and easiest option."

Amelia muttered something under her breath, it sounded like, "Nothing with the two of them involved will ever be safe or easy," but Jay didn't quite hear.

When she stepped into the camp clearing she was nearly tackled by three little furry furies that leaped at her. She purred as she heard their sweet little questioning voices and breathed in the milky scents. She had worried them, yes, but she hadn't scared them. As she herded them to their den and lay with them, she told them a fantastic story of what she hadn't been doing.

But it pleased the nonetheless and it seemed to amuse Silver and Midnight who were waiting impatiently for her to finish so that they could attack her with their own barrage of questions. Amelia brought her a mouse that was temptingly plump for leaf-fall and Jay ate while her kits fell asleep lying on her flank and curled in the crook of her belly.

"Where did you really go? Amelia wouldn't tell us a thing," Silver asked softly, so as not to wake the kits.

Jay swallowed a mouthful of mouse and took another before responding. "I went to the valley."

"Did you see my kits?" Midnight asked, her voice was loud and Hail squeaked in protest, opening one eye before falling back asleep.

Jay sent the black queen a warning glare before responding, "No, it was the middle of the night, they were asleep in the den. But I could smell them, so I knew they were there." Midnight gave a small nod, looking disappointed and as anxious as usual.

"But do you have a plan to save them now? I can only assume you went down there with some kind of idea," Silver pressed, eyes shining hopefully.

Jay shrugged, "I do have a plan..." The two she-cats nearly leaped off their paws in excitement. "However," she added in a stern voice, "I do not know if it will work and I will need your absolute cooperation for it to have a chance."

The two she-cats readily agreed to do everything she told them to do and Jay sighed. "Your first task is to do nothing." They both looked confused and Jay continued on, "I will be working with Amelia and a third cat to rescue the kits. Until we are ready to actually go get the kits, I need the two of you to stay here and watch my kits so that I can work without worrying and without attracting the unnecessary attention a group of cats will gather."

Silver seemed to understand her reasons, but she had to argue with Midnight, finally threatening to abort the whole idea if the black queen did not do as she asked, before the two of them walked away in a mix of annoyance and satisfaction.

Jay sighed, snuggling deeper with her kits, the mission was set before them and it would be a battle every step of the way. Jay only wished that when it was all over and Midnight's kits were back she could still snuggle with her own kits.

* * *

The next day Jay, mindful of her promises to both Midnight and Ash, headed out of the mountain and down into the valley once more, hating every step of it. She would be meeting up with Amelia, who had set out at dawn while she slept, and then with Ash.

Before then, though, Jay wanted to check up on a few things. Namely, a few cats. First she went half-way around the southern rim of the valley, trying to find Adder. But she didn't pick up on the scent of the yellow tom at the place where she'd first met him and she didn't wonder that he had moved closer to the StarReader border if he were spying on them.

As she was heading toward the border herself she crossed the scent trail of the tortoiseshell she-cat who had come to her meeting only to disagree with everything she said. But she traveled unmolested to the meeting point.

"You're late," Amelia growled, glaring up from where she lay on a hastily made bed of dead grass.

Jay waved her tail, "No, I'm not. It isn't even dusk yet," she mewed, sitting beside the black she-cat to wait for the third cat who actually was late. "Did that cat see you?" Jay murmured, looking around suspiciously to make sure they weren't being watched.

"You ask me that every time, and I always give you the same answer; no."

"Hmm," Jay narrowed her eyes, a movement attracting her attention to the north. "There's Ash," she sighed, shivering in disgust. The orange light of the dying sun bathed the dying grass in its color and molded the orange tom into the landscape as he approached.

His eyes lit in surprise when he saw the black cat beside her. She hadn't told him about Amelia and though she'd been reluctant to share one of her secrets with him, the black she-cat would probably play a vital part in all this. And besides, she'd uncovered one of his agents so they were even.

"Ash," Jay mewed, her voice unwelcoming as he sat down before her, his gray eyes taking in the situation. "This is Amelia," she nodded at the black she-cat and the murderess purred friendly. "She's going to be working with us."

"Do I know you?" Ash mewed, narrowing his eyes at the she-cat.

Amelia purred and waved her tail, "Yes, we did meet that one time, didn't we?" Ash seemed to have forgotten the particulars, and Jay and Amelia weren't about to remind him. Ash had once warned Amelia against going up into the northeastern mountain, at the time Jay had figured it was a genuine warning, but now she knew he had wanted to keep his doings with the StarReaders a secret.

"Did you go see the StarReaders today?" Jay asked.

Ash nodded, "I don't usually go into their camp, it took a bit of convincing to get a tour. I may work for them, but they aren't very... gratuitous."

"So I heard," Jay responded dryly, not caring about his tense relations. "But you saw the kits?" Ash nodded. "And?" she pressed.

Ash looked away, "The little black kit does have a strong resemblance," he muttered. "I'll keep to my deal and help rescue them. The easiest thing would be to demand them as recompense for some information, but I don't think they're going to give three kits up for that."

"Have they sacrificed any other cats lately?" Jay asked, if they were starting a routine of it, she needed to know.

Ash shook his head though, "They rarely do it, in fact, most of those cats they have right now will live, breed, and die in that tiny pen. Probably a worse fate than death, if you ask me," he mewed cheerfully.

Jay's tail twitched as she took on a scowl, "Do you really think they're going to last that long? Keeping cats cooped up like that will have consequences."

Ash shrugged, "So long as you don't get involved, it should all be fine. If I can't get the kits out that way, we'll have to think of something else though."

"And extraction mission?" Jay wondered.

Ash shook his head, "The camp is never left unguarded and you could never gather a force big enough to counter them in these mountains."

Amelia yawned, showing off large, white teeth. "But Jay here tells me they only have six cats standing guard at night."

"Yes, and if you attacked one of them they'd warn the entire camp," Ash growled disdainfully.

Jay's eyes lit up, "A dead cat can't warn anybody."

Ash sighed, "That's the kind of stuff I don't want you to do. Why don't I take care of this on my own?"

Jay's tail lashed, "That's like asking me to trust you, and that's not going to happen. I won't do anything drastic, but if you think I'm going to sit back and let you do as you please, you're dead wrong," she growled, narrowing her eyes.

Ash waved his tail soothingly, "Relax, that wasn't anything personal. I simply needed to speed up the time of the battle before I lost the StarReader's favor and I didn't want you to take your kits and make for the hills without going to see Python first."

Jay scowled, "I wouldn't have done that."

"But I couldn't be sure," Ash mewed again, rising up to his full height, the gray twilight softening his fur color, "You wouldn't have done any differently."

Jay glared after him as he turned and walked away. How she hated him! As soon as this was resolved she'd kill him. "He's not a stupid cat, he knows you want him dead," Amelia mewed, turning away.

Jay snorted and followed her, keeping her eyes on the dark gray peak of the eastern mountain. "Maybe, but I'm not as dumb as he thinks I am."

They traveled in silence for a few moments when Amelia tapped her shoulder with her tail tip, "That cat is tracking us again."

"Ash probably wants to make sure we go straight back to the mountain," Jay answered. They continued in a wary silence, when you knew you were being followed it inspired you to keep quiet.

As they neared the bottom of the mountain path Jay tensed up again, as did Amelia. They forgot about their tracker and bolted forward, toward Silver's thin silhouette on the darkening mountain path. The gray she-cat ran out to meet them and burst right into an explanation before they could ask anything.

"The kits are missing!"

Jay stumbled as if she'd been kicked in the chest and her paws immediately froze to the ground. Amelia gave her a quick glance and took control, "What do you mean?" her voice was hard and no-nonsense.

Silver shifted on her paws, blue eyes wide and scared, "It was just after you left, Midnight and I were talking and watching the kits, and then they were just gone! We've looked everywhere but we couldn't find them."

"What about a scent-trail? Couldn't you track them?" Amelia demanded.

"The trail led to the tunnels, but it must have faded too quick because we couldn't pick up anything beyond it," Silver's rushed anxiety was clawing at Jay's already crumbling patience.

She glared at the pale she-cat, "Useless!" she hissed, fear gripping her as she thought that her kits had wandered into one of the side tunnels and gotten lost. Why hadn't she made sure they understood never to go into the tunnels alone? Why hadn't she made sure they understood that she would be back soon? And why, for the sake of StarClan, had Midnight and Silver not been watching them more closely?!

"Do you think they got lost in the tunnels?" Amelia asked, echoing her thoughts.

Silver shook her head, "We called and called, but they never answered back. Also, I think I saw some pawprints on the other side of the mountainside, this side, so I was looking and waiting for you to come back."

Jay snarled, fury building up like a big black cloud over her, her fur was on edge and her claws slid out of their sheaths as she glared murder at Silver. The poor pale tabby looked terrified and guilty and pitiful.

"Jay," Amelia's clear, loud voice was like a thunderclap, "Get a grip, if your kits came to this side of the mountain right after you left, chances are they were following you."

Jay nodded dumbly, focusing on the black she-cat and her red eyes. She needed to stop thinking, stop thinking about the unfriendly rogues, the StarReaders, eagles, hawks, foxes, owls, Ash. She calmed her breathing and trembling mind. "We'll retrace my steps then," she decided in a shaky voice, trying to keep anger and fear from swamping her.

"Let's start right not before all the light is gone, they may be nearby," Amelia mewed, but the frown on her face wasn't encouraging.

"I'll help," Silver offered desperately, wanting to do something to make up for her carelessness.

Jay's fury instantly welled up again and she turned on Silver, "Go back to the camp and try not to lose your tail, though that may be difficult for you," she snarled, hate and disgust dripping from her tone. Silver shrunk back like a frightened kit and Jay couldn't stand it.

Her kits were out there alone, cold, hungry, scared, maybe hurt or worse. And here stood Silver, too scared of her to make up for her mistake. Though, at least Silver had faced her, Midnight was even worse. Jay lashed out with a paw and whirled around, leading Amelia away and leaving Silver with hollow eyes and a bleeding cheek.


	31. Star Trails

The sky turned from purple indigo to a deep midnight blue as Jay and Amelia rushed along a thin trail through the sparse and dry grass. Jay's paws barely touched the ground as she surged forward, often stopping to draw in the scents around her and circle back to make sure she hadn't missed anything.

Amelia strode forward purposefully, ears pricked and eyes wide as she searched the gathering shadows. "They headed for StarReader territory," the black she-cat mewed, pointing with her nose at the dark hindrance at the edge of the open hills.

Jay's ears flattened, "I never went that way today."

"Maybe they caught your scent from yesterday," her partner answered.

The gray queen shook her paws one by one, she didn't bother to ask Amelia how she knew that when Jay hadn't caught a whiff of their scents. If Amelia said they went there, chances were that's where they went. "Let's go, then, if we're lucky they found some hollow to play in and fell asleep in it," she muttered, but thorns of doubt pricked her and urged her forward.

She took off with the black she-cat at her paws, but Amelia took the lead as Jay realized she still couldn't pick up her kits' trail. Even though she knew Amelia's senses were ridiculously sharp, it still miffed her that she wasn't leading the search for her kits.

As they grew close to the StarReaders border a scent reached Jay, but it wasn't one that she had been hoping for, though it was not wholly unexpected. She nodded at Amelia and they were both ready for the yellow tom that took a step out behind a hawthorn bush near the tree-line.

"Adder," Jay greeted him as she slowed to a stop in front of him, barely panting after covering such a distance in a relatively short time. Amelia gave a curt nod toward the tom, she'd never actually met him face-to-face but Jay had told her about his part in her trip to the StarReader camp.

His brown eyes flicked between the two she-cats, "You're looking for those kits that came by earlier?"

Jay's breath caught and she nodded hastily, "They're mine, where are they? When did they pass by?" She lifted her nose to the wind, why couldn't smell them?

Adder nodded, "They came by at about dusk, I watched them enter the forest."

Jay's ears flattened, "Why didn't you stop them?! Why did you let three kits enter that territory?" she growled angrily.

Adder shrugged, taking a step back, "It wasn't any of my business. And it's night again, you should watch out for that cat if you're going after them."

"Of course we're going after them!" Jay's tail lashed behind her in agitation, if Adder had only stepped in and stopped her kits, she was sure they'd be together again by now. But still, her worry was lessened to learn that they'd passed by here not that long ago, there was a good chance that they hadn't made it far into the forest.

Although, as Jay looked at the forest she noticed that unlike the hills, the faint light left in the sky didn't penetrate it. It was pitch black with confusing smells of rotting leaves and dying plants that would make tracking them by scent even harder. Though, that also meant it would be harder for a StarReader to track them and Jay had the blessing of being able to see better in the dark than most cats and growing up in a forest where she was used to the overwhelming presence of foliage.

"Let's find them," Jay mewed, glancing at Amelia, her black fur was smooth and her red eyes were squinted. She could have been frowning or smirking and Jay wouldn't know the difference. They entered into the forest, slipping quietly between the slender trees and the bulky shrubs like passing shadows.

Amelia led, apparently following a trail though she never stopped to take a sniff of the air. Jay followed, keeping an eye on their surroundings since Amelia was concentrating hard on what lay ahead. The wind was gathering strength, whipping leaves around the forest floor and causing the tree branches to crash against each other and the shadows shifted and spun all around them.

The scents were wild and tasteless at the same time. It was impossible to distinguish one from the other as they came and left so suddenly. The noise caused by the wind too, made it difficult to hear her own breathing; the crackle of the dry leaves, the boney clack of the half-naked branches against each other, and the whirl of the wind itself made it a confusing night for tracking.

Jay watched the back of Amelia's head warily, somehow the she-cat was following a trail as sure-pawed as ever. But as Jay watched, the black she-cat came to a stop, "I can't follow their trail any more," her voice was only a whisper, but it was taunt with suppressed fear and anxiety.

The fur along Jay's spine lifted, she'd heard that in her voice only twice before. When Amelia had spoken of going to the north-east mountain alone, and when they'd gone together. But Jay wasn't going to stop now, not when her kits had to be close. "Then I'll lead," Jay mewed firmly, stepping in front of the she-cat.

Amelia nodded, lowering her head so that they couldn't meet eyes. Jay then led the black she-cat through the dark forest. Although she'd spent a moon with the Ivy Cats, she'd rarely explored the forest. She knew a few places where there were herbs and where the trails were.

But right now they were not on a trail and with the dark contorted landmarks, it was the same as traversing foreign territory for the first time. Jay struck on surely though, trying to find some hint of where in the forest her kits could be. They'd traveled quite a ways, had they passed by them? She wanted to call out, but she didn't want to risk attracting unwanted attention.

Amelia followed her, eyes narrowed and ears flat against her head, she seemed to be cringing as if from pain or some inward unpleasantness. It worried Jay, but she could find nothing out of the ordinary to be putting the black she-cat so on edge and devoted herself to searching for a trail.

She turned her head from side to side, searching in vain for a little paw-print, a tuft of fur, a lingering scent, anything, really, besides the shadows and silver flashes of light. As she looked, she paused, a dim gleam of white light catching her attention through the trees. "What's that?" Jay whispered, lifting her nose and drawing in a deep breath. Cat scent touched her tongue and her tail shot straight up as she recognized the scents of her kits. "There they are!" Jay sighed in relief, hurrying toward the light.

"Jay! Wait!" Amelia pulled her back. "Where is that light coming from?" the she-cat hissed.

Jay shook her off and bounded forward, "I don't care, but my kits are hear!" She broke through the ferns, feeling the stems bend and break against her as she struggled through them, Amelia still trying to stop her from behind.

Jay broke through the rest of the undergrowth and stumbled onto smooth ground covered in soft, cushioning grass. The sight before her made her freeze, eyes wide and paws cold. Her three kits were in a row, their backs to her with Flint and Hail sitting on the ends while Ice stood in the middle, her tail pointed skyward and her nose stretching out to meet something.

That something was the source of the light that had caught Jay's attention. A glowing white cat, a lone star in a sky of shadows, its eyes pale orbs without meaning and its pelt emanating with light as pure as the moon. Jay had seen this cat before, it was the ghost that she and Ash had stumbled upon.

Her heart quivered, was this the leader of the StarReaders? Or maybe her daughter. Amelia had halted beside her, red eyes glaring at the white cat although Jay could feel her trembling from tension. The white cat raised her head, looking at the two intruders. She blinked her eyes slowly, "It seems some cat has come to fetch you," the cat told the kits.

The three little kits turned their heads around and, spotting Jay, raced for her. That is, Flint and Hail came to her, purring happily, if not a little sleepily. Ice stayed by the white she-cat, looking between it and Jay. "You should go with your mother," the white cat told the little she-kit.

Ice nodded and joined her brothers as Jay's paws. But the queen didn't look at them, her eyes focused on the white cat, a cold sweat slicked her skin and she felt her breath rough in her throat. "Who are you?" she asked, feeling like she was staring into a den of foxes.

The white cat tilted her head, "We've met before, have we not?"

"We have not!" Amelia hissed, using hostility to cover her fear. But Jay could see the white's of her eyes and the rising of her fur.

The white cat pinned Amelia under her white stare, "I was not talking to you," her voice held a disdain as she addressed Amelia and the black she-cat shrunk under the stare. "But I have met the gray one, though we did not depart on extremely friendly terms. I hope this will be a better one, please, take your kits and return home. It is not a time of night for little ones to be awake."

Jay flattened her ears, "But who are you?"

The white cat shook her head, "Names mean but little. But I follow the stars, same as you and your kits. May they bless us all until our next meeting." the white cat murmured and turned away, padding through the forest and disappearing quickly for one who shone so bright.

When she was gone Amelia let out a loud breath, "What do we do now?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Jay's voice was sharp, "We have to get out of here fast before she gets back to her camp and reports that she saw us. Pick up Flint, I've got Ice and Hail," Jay mewed, snatching the two slightly smaller kits roughly by the scruff while Amelia grabbed Flint.

The kits protested at the painful grasp and the sharp bouncing as Jay and Amelia sprinted, leaped, ducked, crept, and crawled through the forest, making their way to the border as the wind grew stronger around them, whipping the forest into a frenzy.

Jay's paws hit the ground and Amelia's followed, a few spouts of rain hit them as they raced onto the plains, Ice and Hail had given up on complaining in the forest, but they cried anew as the sharp rain sliced through their fluffy kit-fur. The sky was half covered in wind-torn clouds and wet leaves blew out of the forest and hit them as they charged up and down hills, putting distance between themselves and the forest.

Amelia was following a step behind her at her shoulder and bent with her as she turned, abruptly leaping down a short cleft into a hollow. The hill sheltered their back from the wind and the slight rock outcropping covered and kept them dry as Jay put her kits on the ground and faced them, faint starlight outlining their figures.

"You three," Jay growled angrily, glaring sternly at her tired looking kits. They shrunk under her gaze and crouched against the ground, giving each other guilty looks. "You must _never_ leave the camp alone. I've told you that many times and you disobeyed me. What's more, you scared everyone, especially Silver and Midnight, because you didn't tell any cat where you were going." Her voice was harsh, a tone she'd never used around her kits, and they looked terrified.

Hail sniffed pitifully, "I-I was just following them," he cried, covering his head with his little paws. Flint stared down at the ground, trembling as he fought back sobs. Only Ice seemed unaffected, glancing to the side rebelliously.

"Well, Ice?" Jay asked sharply, narrowing her eyes at her only daughter. The she-kit jumped and looked a little sorry but stayed silent. "I'm waiting," Jay growled, she wanted to make this as uncomfortable as possible so that they'd never be tempted to disobey her again.

"I was just following the star trails..." the gray she-kit muttered, but she crouched a little lower and her ears flicked uncertainly.

"Star trails?" Jay snapped, not interested in hearing their silly excuses for their terrible judgment. "I don't care why you left the camp, unless I told you to leave, you have absolutely no reason to. I want the three of you to think hard and know that this is for the safety of all of us that live in that camp. And you'll have plenty of time to feel sorry while you're stuck in the camp for the next moon," she added.

"What?" Flint jerked his head up, eyes round in apology, "No visiting Crow? No training? No walks?" Jay shook her head firmly. All three kits looked at their paws and then back up at her.

"We're sorry," they spoke in unison and even Ice had a penitent tone in her voice.

Jay relaxed her tense muscles and let out a long breath, "I forgive you, but you really scared your mother and I don't want this to happen ever again. It's important to understand that the rules I give you, I give you for a reason," she swept her kits toward her and nuzzled them lovingly, taking relish in the fact that they were healthy and fine.

"Jay, that cat is watching us again," Amelia mewed, leaning out from under the rock covering.

Jay sighed, lifting her muzzle, "Is it still raining?" she didn't hear the slap of rain against the ground, but it still smelled like fresh rain outside.

"No, but it'll probably start up again sometime. If we want to be back before dawn we should move now," the black she-cat advised. "Are we just going to ignore that cat again?" Amelia pressed, returning to the subject.

Jay shrugged and glanced at her kits huddled together, eyes sliding closed in sleep. "Well, I'm not going to do anything with them around," she mewed, nodding at her kits, an unseen movement in the dark. "He's not hurting anything and since we're so conscious of him I think Ash wants us to confront him. I'm not dealing with that tonight," Jay decided, picking up Ice and Hail again. They didn't protest but settled in against her chest and she had Amelia put Flint, who was still awake, on her shoulders where he clung like a stubborn burr.

They set out from under the overhang at a slower pace than before, a brisk walk over the windy, wet hills. Amelia kept an eye on their tracker, but he left them as they reached the bottom of the eastern mountain and they continued up in a more relaxed atmosphere, though Jay noticed Silver was no longer waiting for them.

The night was waning into day as they entered the tunnels, encouraging the kits to stand up and stumble forward on tired paws since she and Amelia had to crawl through the small space. It took longer than usual and when they had reached the other end the sky was already turning a brighter blue and she could see a deep red and purple in the distant eastern horizon where the sun would soon rise.

Jay carried her kits carefully down the sandy trail toward the camp, Amelia yawning behind her. When they reached the camp Jay looked with disdain upon Silver and Midnight, curled up together in the shelter and safety of Silver's den.

Jay averted her eyes quickly, not wanting to get angrier right now. Her legs ached and sleep pulled at her eyes. She wanted to savor the relief of having her kits back safe and sound and fall asleep. She'd get angry later. Putting her kits down in the nest in their den she turned to Amelia, "We won't do anything else for today. Just rest up and enjoy yourself," Jay told her.

Amelia nodded, looking around the quiet camp that lay still in the gray shadows of morning light and headed toward her rock, leaping on top of it and stretching out onto her belly, laying her chin on her folded paws and closing her eyes until there was only a slight shade of red showing from the black face.

Jay shook her head and curled down around her own kits. They had quickly fallen back asleep and nuzzled into the soft curve of her belly as Jay nudged them closer, all things forgiven between them. The gray queen purred as she fell asleep, it was nice.

After a night of worry and fright, being able to fall asleep together in the morning's light was glorious. She wondered... did Midnight live in the worried and frightened world all the time? Did she also dream of sleeping in the light again?

* * *

Jay stood on a circle of brown stone. She could have been surrounded by forest or been alone on a desolate mountain peak. She couldn't tell because all around her fog blocked her vision with their pale gray bodies. It was an odd feeling, when you knew you were dreaming and yet it felt like you were wide awake- your body moved when you told it to and her thoughts ran smoothly. _Where is this? Why am I dreaming of this? If I'm conscious, shouldn't I be able to control my dreams?_

But nothing happened when she wished to be on a lush green hill with apple trees in full blossom with her kits playing with the white petals around her. She stomped on the brown stone angrily, it was hard and her paw ached from where she'd made the heavy contact.

"Is there anyone there?" she called impatiently, stepping away from the circle into the fog. But the circle remained with her, always that one small radius of clear vision while the rest was blurred out. As she continued to walk, noises started vibrating through the fog, like far off voices whose words grew muffled but whose tone rang clearly through the air.

They were mysterious, secretive voices. Excited and optimistic. Cold and dismal. Blending together around her in a foreign sound that made her heartbeat rise. Taking another hesitant step toward where the voices seemed to be coming from she saw a flash of gray against the brown stone. Was it?

Taking a couple more steps in that direction she saw an image, as if looking through a long tunnel. Ice stood, small and far away, deaf to the voice she raised. The gray she-kit held her green eyes happily and familiarly upon a cat that Jay had never seen before.

She was a black she-cat with amber eyes, similar to Amelia, but shorter with a sleeker pelt, larger ears, brighter eyes, and a more reserved countenance. Jay felt like she could feel her wisdom from this distance and as she called again the black cat raised her head from where she'd been speaking silent words to Ice and looked at her.

Their eyes met and Jay flinched, feeling the disapproval aimed directly at her, so different from the warmth the black cat had been giving Ice. Her amber eyes seemed to hold all the fire of a dying sunset and Jay's breath stopped, unable to look away.

With a shock, Jay awoke from her slumber and stared at the soft colors of her kits' pelts as her heartbeat slowly returned to normal. The harsh sunlight and brisk air touched her nose as she lifted her head, licking her dry tongue across her muzzle.

Her kits still slept soundly and her eyes lingered on Ice. It seemed like she'd noticed something was different with her before, but now she was sure. A dream like that, she'd never had one before. But her brother had, he had described it clearly to her how it'd felt, though he couldn't tell her the particulars.

She had been called somewhere in her dreams, by a foreign ancestor who had treated her like she was a spy instead of a guest. But Ice had been a welcomed guest, for who? For what purpose? Her belly turned in worry.

Whenever StarClan had gotten involved in the Clans, that meant something bad was going to happen or was happening. Were the ancestors of the mountains getting involved? And whose side were they on? She remembered the white she-cat talking to her kits with a patience and firmness that reminded Jay of a mentor with an apprentice. What did her kits have to do with these mountains? They may have some kin here, but very little; they were as good as strangers.

She rose from her nest and stepped out of the den, narrowing her eyes as she looked at the bright blue sky, the sun glaring down at her as it mocked her with the chill of the air. Something was changing in the cats around her, if sleepy stars were getting involved there was a chance that the earlier tempest had only been a prelude to what was to come.

She lowered her head, was it better to hide? Was it better to face it? She glanced at her kits again, worry tightening her chest. If a star cat was visiting her daughter, would they allow her kits to hide away? Indecision battled at her conscious with a single question: What was safest for her kits?

The rhythmic sound of falling leaves flying through the air encouraged her to look up. Across the clearing from her Amelia stood with Silver and Midnight, the gray and long-furred black cat looking sorrowful and apologetic but with an air of expectation about them. What did they expect from her? Why had they even grown to expect something from her? She was no leader.

An image of her mother and father appeared in her mind, their strong backs and resolute posture as they led the Clan on together. Through hardships, mistakes, blame, and anger they still took care of the Clan with warmth and happiness.

But at what cost? She and her brother had spent many days and night alone together, put second by their parents as the expectations and care of the Clan came before them. She still remembered the sharp bitterness as she proudly brought her first catch to her father only to be hushed and sent away as he ignored her and talked to her mentor, the deputy.

What had been so great about leadership that had trumped building a bond with their own kits? It was a question she'd never been able to answer. Would she be forced to find out? Would it really be worth it?

She gave her kits a sorrowful look. Their safety, their well-being, was more important to her than their love. Just as her parents before her, she was going to have to put them aside to guarantee that they would live to either love or hate her.

This would be a hard path, but yesterday had proved that even if she chose to hide away, her kits might not choose that. So she had to make this valley safe and ensure that they need not fear for their lives ever again. She lifted her head and walked toward the three she-cats, she may not be their leader yet, but she was going to become their leader.

And use them to keep her kits safe.


	32. Dark Fates

"Are you sure this will work?" Silver's speculative voice annoyed Jay as she swished her tail.

"No, that's why I'm asking for your opinions," she snapped back, narrowing her eyes as she studied carefully the plan she'd etched out onto the sand. Her kits were playing on the other side of the clearing, tussling and wrestling as they rolled around in a careless play-fight.

Jay sat with the three other she-cats of the camp opposite from them, observing her initial plan for rescuing the kits. Her idea was to take out two of the guards that circled around the circumference of the camp and also take out the two in camp, finding and leaving with the kits swiftly.

The plan could, in theory, work. But Jay knew it was too dependent on things going all their way to be practical. She watched Midnight, trying to gauge what the black queen was thinking. This was more of a test for Midnight than a meeting to critique her tossed battle plan.

Would Midnight jump on board with such an obviously flawed plan if its purpose was to rescue her kits? She needed to know how credible the black queen would be after she so carelessly allowed Jay's kits to sneak out of the camp.

She'd already tested Silver similarly and had decided she was still level-headed enough to help in the rescue plan; though things had been even colder between them since she'd allowed Jay's kits to sneak away. "What do you think, Midnight?" Amelia asked, stifling a yawn and sitting back on her haunches, she'd barely spared the plan a glance or an ear. She knew what this was really about.

Midnight looked desperately around at the three cats and lowered her head, "I don't think it'll work. It just doesn't seem very... realistic," Jay could tell the words were killing her and the despair in her voice would make most other cats feel guilty, but Jay was relieved.

"You're right," she mewed approvingly. "It'll need a lot of work before we can propose it to Ash." Jay started rubbing out the strategy plan in the sand, remembering the last time she'd had to go meet him. It had been nearly a moon since she'd gotten her kits back again and had decided to make the whole valley safe for her kits.

Her meetings with Ash since then had been few and brief. He'd talked to the StarReaders about getting the kits, but they'd refused and it seemed their relations were even further strained. However, he continued to insist that he would do it alone and she hadn't dared tell him she had decided to end the StarReaders' reign. She'd tell him after the kits were back and he was breathing his last.

Jay stood up and stretched, rolling her shoulders and arching her back. The sky was gray, covered in clouds that had rolled in that morning. A wind buffed up against the mountain from the west, so that they were mostly sheltered on the opposite slope, but she could hear it whistling high overhead. It was a cold wind, it could bring the first frost overnight.

It was about the middle of the afternoon, she'd meet Ash at about dusk and propose her new idea for rescuing the kits. Time was running short for them, the kits would soon be forgetting about their mother and though their bond could still be rekindled, she knew Midnight would rather it sooner than later. And she'd like to get Ash out of the picture as quickly as possible.

And after that, she could focus on taking away the StarReaders power and force them to return back to their mountain. That would be her goal. And then she could return to the valley and her kits would have no greater troubles than finding their next meal.

"Are you going to meet Ash now?" Amelia asked as she headed over to the stream that ran along the camp, taking a few mouthfuls of drink.

"Yes, watch my kits while I'm gone," she mewed, looking over at the three fur-balls. They were playing so happily and carelessly. She wanted them to keep doing that, as long as they could. It took her by surprise to think they were nearly three moons old already.

She smiled to herself, thinking of all the trouble she'd gotten into when she was three moons old. All the plans and ideas she'd had, the ideals and friends she'd had. None of it had come true, and in the end, she was happier it had worked out this way.

Jay padded over to her kits and they stopped their playing and looked up at her, wide-eyed. "I'm going down into the valley, Amelia will watch you and Silver will catch you some dinner," she told them softly, lowering her head closer to them.

"Will you be back home to sleep tonight?" Hail asked, green eyes round as he stared imploringly up at her.

Her heart twisted, but she had to do this. For them and for everyone, but mostly for them. "No, darlings. I'll be back before morning though, so I will be there when you wake up and-" she added as they started looking downcast, "I'll spend the whole day with you tomorrow. It's been nearly a moon since your punishment, we can go see Crow and hunt and train as much as you want," she told them impulsively. She had planned to do other things, but it was important to spend time with them when she could, the rest could wait.

Three pairs of ears perked up at that and they nodded at her, purring and mewing their goodbyes. Jay nuzzled each of them and started to leave, giving them a final glance as she exited the camp. Flint and Hail had returned to playing but Ice watched her, green eyes sad and lonely as she stood apart from her brothers.

Jay felt like she was looking at her younger self, how she'd felt as she'd been put aside by her parents. But what could she do? It was mostly because of Ice that she was doing this. She had to protect her daughter and sons. Jay turned and hurried through the tunnels, stepping out of the tunnels and shaking her pelt free of dust.

The brown, yellow, and red valley was rich in color despite the gray sky and the stiff wind blew her whiskers against the side of her face and tugged at her pelt as she loped down the sloping mountain path. She looked around and tasted the windy air when she reached the base of the mountain path.

Ash had sent his little spy again, her tail twitched in annoyance. She'd looked for the spy before, but he had always left when she got close, sometimes disappearing suddenly. But she'd learned more about the spy that way, she knew that he was a long-term resident who had lived in the valley all his life, was quick-footed, sharp sensed, and carefully obeyed orders.

Jay took a path through the shoulder-length grass, keeping her head and ears down so that she wouldn't be easily spotted by any cat. It was rare that she ever actually saw any cat, but it was pretty easy to pick up on the presence of a cat at any place in the valley. But she didn't want anyone picking up on her presence.

The wind was fierce in the valley, she had to narrow her eyes against it and the trees waved in the distance, rippling and rolling like waves on a high sea. Also, the gray clouds to the west seemed darker than those overhead. Would it possibly rain again?

Hurrying forward, Jay paused on the knoll of a hill and straightened up. She could be seen from a distance from here, but she could also see over all the others hills and plains that covered the valley up until the forested area. There, she could see the spy diving for cover in a heather patch, his pelt blending in with the faded plant.

Jay narrowed her eyes and continued her sweep, Ash wasn't at the meeting place yet, and only one other cat stirred in the valley. She scowled, it was that tortoiseshell from her meeting again, she must have a den around here because she was the one Jay saw the most of. Of course they'd never met face to face since, and she didn't intend to remedy that.

It was Adder that she'd been hoping to catch a glimpse of, she hadn't seen the young tom since she'd gone looking for her kits. Although she didn't particularly care for him, since he had helped her in the past, she felt a little obligated to help him if he should ever need assistance.

But if she couldn't find him, she couldn't do anything for him. She left the hill and slipped back into the grass, heading for the meeting place which was a little hollow in the ground between the rise of three hills.

When she reached it the temperature had clearly been dropping as the faint light from behind the clouds died away. Jay shivered and fluffed up her fur. She'd only lived through one leaf-bare back in the forest, she was anxious to see what it would be like here in the mountains when it was cold at night even in the middle of green-leaf.

She was sitting there for several minutes in the cold before she heard the approach of Ash, that put her in a bad mood. And when she saw how cheerful he looked, it put her in a worse mood. "Hello, Jay!" the orange tom mewed cheerfully, eyes drawn up in pleasure.

"Please tell me you got the kits and that's why you look happier than a kit with a bug," she groaned, laying down on her belly and tucking her legs beneath her.

"I don't have the kits," he mewed in his still cheerful voice. "But I learned some news that made me happy."

"And what would that be?" she grunted.

Ash purred and looked down at her with a sort of knowing expression, "I think you'd be happy to know, but I won't tell you." Jay tsked her tongue and Ash laughed, why was he like this? It seemed like he'd grown more arrogant since she'd been seeing him again. She liked him even worse than before.

"Well what have you done about the kits?" She demanded, reaching out a paw toward him and glaring.

"Ah, about that. They told me that if I asked again they'd be forced to cancel our partnership," he mewed, shrugging, but still with a content look on his face.

Jay's tail twitched, "Are you finally admitting that you can't do it alone?"

Ash's expression darkened, "Had you ever intended to allow me to do it alone?"

"No," Jay mewed, closing her eyes knowingly, "But it's nice to hear you say you can't. So we have to go along with my plan now, huh?"

"I suppose," Ash mewed tensely, sitting down across from her. "What is your plan, then?"

Jay sat up and relayed him the details. It would be a small extraction mission composed of Amelia, Midnight, Silver, Ash, and herself. Crow would watch her kits for the night and all would be fine on her end. They'd meet up with Ash outside the forest and make their way to the camp.

They'd pass through the circumference guards and Midnight would be left to find them an opening. Jay didn't want her getting close to her kits until they were out of immediate danger. At the camp, Jay and Amelia would take care of the two guards while Ash and Silver found the kits.

Although Jay didn't tell Ash this, she'd also use that time to tell the other captives some details about a future plan she had. Ash couldn't know yet, but she would free the others later and then use them to beat the StarReaders. And if she could later convince some of the cats that had been forced to become StarReaders to join her side, than hey, how could she be faulted for using all methods at her disposal?

Once they'd found the kits they would leave, meeting back up with Midnight and exiting the area through the opening she found. The mission depended on extreme quietness. Jay would bring poppy seeds to make the kits sleep and she'd drill Silver in being stealthy. She supposed Ash could take care on his end and she had no worries about herself or Amelia.

"That's the best plan you've come up with so far," Ash sighed, looking up at the sky.

"Is there anything you want to change in it?" Jay challenged, annoyed by his barely approving tone.

Ash shook his head, "No, no. It can be all yours. I won't have failure being attributed to me."

Jay sniffed, so long as everyone played their parts there wouldn't be any failing. "In three days it'll be the full moon, that will give us the best light at night- supposing that the sky is clear anyways- we'll carry the mission out then," she mewed. She'd already gone over this plan with Amelia and even though the two of them would work fine in pitch dark, for the sake of the other cats they wanted as much light in the forest as possible.

Ash shrugged, "That works fine. We'll meet up here?"

Jay shook her head, "At my old den, it's closer to the border."

Ash nodded and stood up, "If you're done, I'll be taking my leave," he turned and started padding up the short slope.

"Wait," Jay stood up and took a step after him, pausing when he stopped and looked over his shoulder at her. "What do you plan to do when this little mission is over?"

"What do you mean? I'll continue with my job with the StarReaders, of course," he answered as if it were the simplest thing in the world.

"You're not stupid," Jay growled, narrowing her eyes at him, "If the kits go missing so soon after you asked for them, they will at the very least cut off ties with you. So what will you do when you're the enemy of every cat in the valley?"

"You would just love to see that, wouldn't you?" Ash sneered. "I'm actually still reputable among the rouges not yet conquered by the StarReaders. I'll still have some work to do and after they've all been integrated or driven out I can live fine on the outskirts of their territory. I know my way around these mountains, unlike some cats," he snorted, facing forward and starting to walk away again.

"Why don't you go live with your kits? With Midnight? Watch your kits grow up and teach them all you know?" she asked. It continued to boggle her mind how Ash didn't seem to take even the slightest interest in his own flesh and blood, though she had no intention of actually letting him live.

Ash paused but then shook his head, "As far as any cat is concerned, I don't have kits. I don't have a mate either." His voice was sharp, but it echoed pain and sadness. Jay knew that tone well, but she wasn't concerned with his past haunts.

"You're going to hurt your kits if they find out their father wants nothing to do with them!" she argued, trotting after him as he picked up his pace.

He shrugged his shoulders, "They have Midnight, she's plenty."

"But don't you want to know them? Don't you want them to know you? What do you think they think of you right now?" Jay challenged.

"They probably don't think about me," Ash snapped back, his irritability far different from the cheerful attitude he'd met her with. "Why do you even care, aren't you only concerned with your kits?"

Jay fluffed up her fur, "Yes, because they're my family. I spent a whole moon with you and I know you feel like family with neither Pine nor Night. On top of that, your mother and sister are dead. So why not live with your family that's still alive?"

"Why try living with family again? It didn't work the first time. Now lay off of it, I won't be changing my mind on your behalf," with that he gave her a sharp look and dashed away. Jay didn't give chase and watched him hightail it across the hills.

The light was incredibly weak and he soon disappeared into shadows. The dark blue-gray clouds overhead let out a low rumble as they morphed into new shapes, driven by the ever-steady wind. She had done what she'd come to do, the extraction mission was set up and Amelia should have briefed Midnight and Silver on it by now.

When she got back to camp she'd sleep with her kits, go hunting with them in the morning. And when they visited Crow, she would ask him to watch her kits at the time of the mission. She paused as she neared the base of the mountain.

The spy wasn't following her, or maybe she just couldn't sense him, but she doubted she would lose him for no reason when she had been downwind of him the whole way. Jay looked back at the forest, what had Ash been so giddy about when they'd met up? What secret had he been keeping? He said it would make her happy, so either it was good or really, really, bad...

 _It's only twilight right now, I can go check on things and still be back before morning_ , she decided on impulse, turning her paws away from the mountain. Crossing the hills again took the duration of the time for all light to fade from the valley, mist settling cold and sharp over the hills.

Without much idea of what Ash had been talking about, she wandered through the woods, loosely heading for the camp. The crinkle of leaves halted her and she looked around, ears pricked and nose widened to draw in scents. She couldn't detect anything with her eyes in the thick forest, but the scent of rabbit hit her nose and she heard the continued bound of a bunny.

Her stomach growled, reminding her she hadn't eaten since sun-high. She had planned to eat when she got back, before she went to sleep. But if a meal was going to hop into her mouth, she wasn't going to turn away. She followed the rabbit by scent, using her whiskers to expertly navigate the treacherous forest trails in the dark.

The rabbit bounded along at a pace that was quick enough to give Jay trouble catching up to it in the dark, but not quick enough to hint that she'd startled it. It zigzagged trough the forest, making it difficult for Jay to track it in a most direct route.

Normally she would have given up on such a difficult piece of prey, but the thrill of the hunt encouraged her forward. The mist laid heavily on the forest, chilling her skin and making the leaves slippery under-paw, but the undergrowth was thinning and she could see a little better than before, the occasional flicker of the rabbit's silhouette ahead of her lured her forward.

Jay hadn't been sure which direction she was heading for awhile now, only aware that it was away from the StarReader's camp. Now she saw that she was on the far east-side of the territory, the side that was closer to her mountain home. That pleased her and Jay took a couple springing steps and finally brought down the rabbit that had led her over half of the StarReader's territory.

Before she could even enjoy the satisfaction of succeeding in such a trying hunt, cat scent blew to her on a quirky breeze that was blowing against the rest of the wind. Strong StarReader scent instantly made her wary and she looked down in annoyance at the rabbit.

Its blood trickled out slowly but the scent of that blood was strong, it would give her away if they came any closer. She'd been stupid to go cavorting around StarReader territory with her senses only fixed on the rabbit. If she hadn't caught it right then, she may have ended up running right into them since that was the direction she had been headed in.

Because she was upwind she couldn't get another sniff of them from where she was, but she was sure there were several StarReaders up ahead. Grabbing her rabbit, she headed south, planning to head perpendicularity to them until she was outside their territory.

Ferocious growls and cries disrupted the faint patter of mist on leaf and Jay paused, ears pricked in the direction of the sounds. It was from the same direction the scents had come from. Had the StarReaders found a rogue? Were they driving it away or forcing it to join? Jay's tail flicked curiously.

A couple days ago she would have turned her back and kept walking, but now that she was planning to take down the StarReaders, having more cats join her force was paramount. Even having a cat in the valley indebted to her would be useful for spying and information gathering.

Dropping the rabbit and kicking it under a dripping fern bush, she circled around until she was downwind and, gauging from the level of the growls and snarls, figured it was a one-sided fight. She took in deep breaths, trying to find out more about this rogue she was going to rescue- that is, if it were practical that she would survive.

Under the StarReader scent was a faint scent that was nearly familiar, but too faint to place anywhere. A rogue she'd invited to her meeting, perhaps? She couldn't identify the voice from growls, but as she crept closer she could see a faint shining of white between the trees, her stomach sunk.

In the distance between the trees she could see two glowing white she-cats, the elder one was the cat who had been talking to her kits a moon ago and her jaws set into a hard line. The two cats were focused on the three cats before them, two well-groomed StarReaders and a wretched fox-hearted tom that swiped at anything that was close enough to feel his claws.

Out of the five, Jay felt the most sorry for the Python-supporter turned StarReader, named Dew, who looked unhappy with the situation around her. No doubt the fox-heart had been causing trouble so they'd decided to kill the blind nuisance.

Now Jay understood what Ash had told her about news that would make her happy. Though, she would have rather killed Thunderstorm herself. She couldn't forget the night that he'd killed Thyme, taking his anger and frustration out on that poor cat like a kit would a moss-ball when he was upset. A cat that killed out of pointless spite deserved nothing short of death.

So why did the cats leave him growling and lashing? Drag him to your mountain, kill him, and be done with it! But they only stood back and watched the desperately clawing tom, listening to his screams, curses, and growls without blinking. Dew was clearly the most anxious one, although Jay had never felt the white she-cat with pale gray ears was softhearted, she wasn't the kind to kill for the sake of killing.

Jay waited impatiently for a few minutes. She knew she should leave, let them do things themselves. But annoyance and something darker made her claws itch to run down Thunderstorm's contorted face. Why shouldn't it be her that takes revenge on her fallen friend? Though, wouldn't the StarReaders take some other cat in place of Thunderstorm? She wondered if they'd done that when Silver had gotten away, it would be better not to give her that idea though.

With a dissatisfied sigh, Jay turned her back on the confrontation. She wouldn't be back until nearly dawn at this point. As she started off her dissatisfaction turned to panic as Thunderstorm broke away and raced blindly through the woods, missing several trees by a whisker-length as the cats started after him slowly, obviously they didn't expect him to get far.

But he nearly bowled her over and as he stumbled past her she saw the whites of his eyes and the ribs beneath his fluffed up pelt. He was starving and weak, this was his last desperate attempt at freedom. And he couldn't even see anything but blackness.

What Jay felt couldn't exactly be called pity, for she still loathed this creature. But she disliked the thought of him dying like a helpless piece of prey. Perhaps it was the warrior blood in her that decided to act up at this odd moment, the urge to protect the defenseless or something, or maybe it was because his blindness reminded her of her mother. Or his blind determination reminded her of someone else.

But she jumped to the struggling cat's side and wrapped her tail around his neck, hissing at him, "If you can run, then run now. I'll guide you." Thunderstorm shook his head and hesitated for a moment until the cats following him noticed he was no longer alone and let out a harsh call. He leaped into a run so suddenly Jay had to surge forward to keep up to lead him through the forest.

Her eyes flicked around quickly, taking the tom along the easiest path. She was impressed how such a skinny cat could keep pace with her easily until she remembered he was a hunter, skill and speed were the disciplines he was expert in.

As they raced out of the forest and over the hills, they left the pursuing cats behind and Jay led him to the base of the mountain path. She had helped him on impulse, and since she had left the forest she'd been gradually regretting it more and more.

Thunderstorm panted and fell onto his belly, eyes closed though it made no difference to him now. "Wh-who- are?"

"Who am I?" Jay growled, finishing the sentence for him. "You should have recognized me by now," she added in annoyance. The tom looked at her blankly, "Nevermind," Jay sighed, glancing to the side.

"What are you going to do with me?" Thunderstorm asked after he'd gotten back his breath, his voice was bitter, as if he hated to ask but recognized he was at her mercy.

"I'd like to kill you," Jay mewed angrily, "But it irks me to think that I wasted time to save you from death only for you to end up dead." Was she really not going to kill this murderer?

Thunderstorm narrowed his eyes, "Why did you help me, then?" he challenged angrily, as if he was unhappy for the help.

"I don't know," Jay growled back in annoyance. She was tired and hungry and now she had a tired and hungry captive. Perhaps she should wait until tomorrow to deal with this. As she was thinking that, the mist turned to a steady rain and soaked them through in a few moments.

"Let's go to my den and I'll sleep on it," Jay muttered, wrapping her tail around his neck again, nosing the skinny tom to his paws and leading him up the slick slope.

As he coughed and stumbled behind her, Jay could only come to regret her actions even more. Though, she had a feeling Amelia would get a kick out of the situation. Why did she only end up with the cats she hated? Fate had a dark sense of humor. But she already knew that.


	33. Midnight Falls

"This is... who?" Jay sat, tail thumping hard on the ground and an uncomfortable squirming in her belly. She felt like an apprentice caught in a stupid prank again. She glared at Thunderstorm, the tom laid on his belly, glaring at nothing as Silver and Midnight confronted them with a mix of annoyance and confusion.

Amelia had taken one look at them when she'd gotten back and gone off laughing, coming back with prey at dawn with giggles stuck in her throat. Now that Jay and Thunderstorm had rested, she had no reason to put off giving an explanation to the others and she was painfully aware of her kits' concerned stares boring into her back.

"His name is Thunderstorm," she mewed again, slowly.

"Why is he here," Silver mewed suspiciously. Of course, she would know of him from her short time in the StarReader's camp.

Midnight looked at her directly, eyes uncertain, "Is he going to help us with something?"

Jay's tail flicked, "Of course not, he's blind," her voice was harsh and she flinched at it as she thought of her mother. She glared at Thunderstorm again who seemed to refuse any conversation, but he was glaring in her direction this time.

"Just because I'm blind doesn't mean I'm useless," he hissed, the fur rising along his spine.

"What can you do, then?" Jay challenged. Thunderstorm turned his head away and didn't answer her, huffing and muttering under his breath.

"Why is he here in the first place? Why isn't he still with the StarReaders?" Silver demanded, glaring at the blind tom. She also would know that he was a former Ivy Cat.

"Ash told me something about him. The StarReaders were going to kill him so I saved him," Jay sighed, figuring the truth was easier than excuses that she couldn't think up.

"You know Ash?" Thunderstorm mewed suspiciously, "I thought he was dead," the tom snorted, seeming annoyed but poorly masking the relief in his blind eyes.

Jay looked at him, tempted to tell him that is was Ash who had brought the StarReaders into the valley. But neither Silver nor Midnight knew that either; it would be too much trouble to explain why they were working with him after all he'd done.

"That's enough," she decided, "Midnight, I want you to take care of him for me," she told the black she-cat. "He will stay with us for a few days. With any luck we can find some other cat to take care of him soon," she decided with a sigh. She supposed that a life of relying on others would teach Thunderstorm more humility and empathy than a painful death.

"Oh," Midnight shuffled her paws, "I promised Crow to help him gather more moss and hunt for him today," she mewed, ducking her head.

Jay's tail twitched, yes, she'd encouraged Midnight to help Crow to keep her busy and keep her sadness in check, but she couldn't just leave Thunderstorm alone in the camp. "Silver, would you-?" But she halted herself, she'd instructed Amelia to drill Silver in stealth in preparation for the mission. "Never mind," she muttered as Silver looked at her curiously, "Go find Amelia," she ordered instead.

The pale tabby nodded and turned away, hurrying out of camp as if she couldn't wait to get far away from the tom. As Midnight wandered away Jay turned to the gray tom, "On your paws," she ordered, nudging him harshly. The tom grunted and bit at her paw but she drew it back and cuffed him roughly over the head, "Do as I tell you," she growled.

She led him by the tail over to Silver's den and pushed him down into the moss nest. He snarled as he stumbled and fell on his side, "Watch it, she-cat!" he spat.

Jay felt a gurgle of anger, didn't he realize that no other cat in the world cared about his prejudice? Perhaps two moons in captivity hadn't been enough. "This 'she-cat' saved your worthless life. And how have you still not recognized me?!" she demanded. Silver and Midnight hadn't greeted her by name, so he hadn't heard it yet. But really, they spent a moon in the same cave together.

"All you cats smell the same," he sniffed, shifting into a more comfortable crouching position. Surely he was referring to only she-cats when he said that.

"Still, the name 'Ash' didn't bring up any memories?" she scowled as his forehead creased in thought.

"His... mate? The one driven out?" Thunderstorm guessed.

"And her name was...?" Jay prodded, if he couldn't remember this, he was surely stupid.

"Gee?"

"Jay! You moron! My gosh, I should just kill you," her claws unsheathed and she had to dig them into the sand to keep from slashing his stupid face. "What sort of name is Gee, anyways?!" Muttering and praying that someone would give her the patience to not kill him she paced in tight circles in front of the den.

"Mom, mom, mom!" a chorus of calls washed away her frightening murderous intentions and she purred as her three kits ran up to her, the mid-morning sun bouncing softly of their pelts. They halted at her paws and looked up at her with gleeful looks, "Are we going out soon?" they asked excitedly.

Jay's heart fell. That was right, she had promised them, hadn't she, that they were going to spend the whole day together. She glared at Thunderstorm who was listening curiously from the den. She sent him another sharp look his way and led her kits away so that he couldn't hear.

"Darlings, I know I promised. But now I have to watch that cat, see, he's blind so he can't be left alone." _He's also an idiot, bratty, useless lump of fur whose unpredictable and unstable_. But she didn't add any of that. The kits peered behind her to look at him, "Can't he just sleep in there alone?" Flint begged.

Jay shook her head in resignation, "He also has to be fed and washed. But we can spend the whole day together playing in camp," she offered desperately. But the kits didn't look happy about that, they looked longingly at the forest. After a moon stuck in camp, they wanted to go out.

Hail's gaze alighted on Midnight, preparing to head out of camp. "Midnight!" he called, running a few steps toward the black she-cat, "Where are you going?"

Midnight looked up, "To visit Crow," she called back.

"Can we go with you?" Ice asked, stepping up by her identical brother.

"Ask you mother."

All three kits looked at her imploringly, "Please~"

Jay couldn't say that her heart didn't hurt that they'd rather go see Crow than spend the day with her, even though it would mean staying in camp. But she also didn't have the heart to refuse them after breaking her promise. "Of course, but make sure you listen to whatever Midnight tells you and no sneaking away," she added sternly, remembering the last time she'd left her kits in Midnight's care.

The kits promised and Ice and Hail raced over to Midnight but Flint lingered for a moment, giving her a sweet goodbye by touching her nuzzle with his little pink nose and then running after his siblings.

Jay watched their tiny tails, stuck straight in the air, disappear in the shadow of the dead undergrowth and their chattering fade and fall silent in the cold, seamless air. She was left alone in the camp with Thunderstorm and she couldn't help but wish she could kill him so that she could be with her kits.

 _Why don't I just leave him? If he gets himself in trouble it'll be his own fault, no cat could blame me for his death_. But she knew she was less afraid of him dying than him injuring himself and making her use up all her herbs. Why was she being so... considerate? She could just leave him somewhere in the valley to fend for himself, a cat like him didn't deserve mercy or compassion.

"I'm hungry," he complained, his sharp voice raising above the chill breeze.

Jay only glared at him, a shadowy lump inside Silver's den. He was a murderer, and she was taking care of him. Why? He knew nothing she was interested in, he couldn't tell her anything about the StarReaders that she didn't know.

Jay sat in the middle of the clearing, ignoring the tom as she scuffled her paws in the sand. Besides his blindness, he wasn't at all like her mother. Scorch had never complained or expected anything of her, but he seemed to think she should fall over herself taking care of him.

So why did she feel sorry for him? She knew that was why she didn't kill him, but she didn't understand why she felt sorry. She hadn't pitied her mother for her blindness, and she was sure that wasn't why she pitied Thunderstorm.

So what was it?! It was aggravating that she couldn't identify it, it consumed her thoughts so that she didn't even think of her kits. She felt like her mind was turned in circles, passing time after time what it was she was searching for.

"I'm thirsty," Thunderstorm's annoyed growl was closer than before and his shadow fell over the pale sand next to hers. Jay glanced at him; he was scrawny- every rib showing under his pelt, his fur was caught in knots and full of mud and burrs, probably ticks as well. She could see faded scratches and blood over his pelt, not claw marks, but it looked as if he'd gotten tangled in thorns. His hazy amber eyes looked blindly forward, but still forward.

 _Ah_ , that was it. He must have been abandoned when he was captured by the StarReaders. Since most of the Ivy Cats ended up on the other side of the camp, he was mostly isolated with former enemies. No cat helped the blind Ivy Cat, but he hadn't given up. The fact that he was still alive proved that. He'd fought for his food, his place to sleep, and for his life.

Now he was fighting her in his own way, fighting for her help. That was what she'd done for so long, fought for every step she took. However, it spurred a distaste in her rather than warmth. He had fought against Thyme who, she could only imagine, he'd seen as the cause of his affliction. And he hadn't been merciful.

"The stream is over there," Jay mewed, not bothering to direct him. He should be able to hear the running water. She watched with narrowed eyes as he padded toward the water, pausing hesitantly by it, unsure of how close he was.

With a growl, she stalked up behind him and gave a shove, pushing him into the tiny stream. He jumped as the water hit his paws, but the stream was barely deep enough to cover his paws and she pushed him back in. "Stop shoving me!"

"Stop being a nuisance!" Jay snapped back, tail flicking. "I'm going to let you stay here for now since it's too much trouble to kill you or bring you down to the valley. But as soon as I find some other cat to take care of you, you'll be out of here."

Thunderstorm scoffed, "And who's going to take care of me?"

"Your mother? Your father? Didn't you have a friend or a younger brother or something?"

"My father won't take care of me, I'm a grown cat! My mother can't take care of me and Eagle is too young," his ears laid flat against his head. "Olive can go die, for all I care," he added, muttering.

Jay's tail flicked, "Too bad you killed Thyme," she sneered, "She would have taken care of you until you died, you fox-heart," she spat angrily.

Thunderstorm glared in her direction, "If it wasn't for her, I wouldn't be blind."

"Moron!" Jay hissed, "You still think that?! You were the one that went running ahead and left her, if you'd stayed with her maybe things would have worked out differently." Her tail lashed, this was pointless, she was getting angry over nothing. "Nevermind, go back to your den, I'll get you something to eat," she muttered as she pulled him along by the tail.

He continued to glare at her though he didn't speak another word. Jay left him alone in his den and left the camp, nothing seemed to live on this mountainside besides them and no eagle or hawk could see him if he stayed in the den.

But she still didn't trust him on his own so she tried to find some prey near the camp and managed to snag a chaffinch, carrying it back to Thunderstorm. Her tail flicked as she saw him nosing around her den, "Are you looking for something?" Jay asked in a growl, wondering what he was doing.

Thunderstorm lifted his head and looked at her without a shred of guilt, "I was bored."

"Then sleep," Jay hissed, kicking the chaffinch through the sand to his paws. "After you eat that. I want you to stay in your den when I'm not around," she added, pushing him back to his den after he'd grabbed the sandy bird.

She couldn't assign a guard to him with so few cats, but she couldn't trust him on his own. And that wasn't because he was blind. He had no control on his temper and a surly attitude, she wasn't sure what he would do if her kits were the object of his anger, but she wasn't going to find out.

"I'm not your prisoner," Thunderstorm hissed, spitting out the bird as she shoved him back into his nest.

"No, but let's get something straight. You either obey me absolutely or I dump you in the valley to die of starvation and exposure," Jay mewed coldly, if he ever put some cat in this camp at risk by disobeying her she wouldn't hesitate to kick him out.

"Your stay here is dependent on your attitude. I'm willing to meet your needs so long as you don't do anything to harm or endanger any of the other cats in this camp. So listen to what I tell you to do and you might just live through this," she growled and backed out of the den, leaving him alone with his gritty meal.

The rest of the day seemed to pass slowly, Midnight and the kits stayed out until dusk and Amelia and Silver returned a littler after them. Jay had spent her time training, stalking across the sandy clearing and leaping silently from one rock to the other, practicing her balance, speed, strength, and stealth.

She wouldn't deny that she felt a little lonely when she saw how happy her kits seemed to be when they returned with Midnight, their eyes glimmering and their purrs leaking out between joyous mews. But they were so tired that they couldn't answer her questions and fell sound asleep at her belly after they'd eaten.

Silver went to share Midnight's den since Thunderstorm was in hers- Midnight's den was a round hole in one of the rocks, mostly protected and made soft by the use of a lot of moss. As Jay finished her meal in her den, trying not to disturb her resting kits, Amelia came to talk to her with the deepening amethyst sky behind her.

"How did Thunderstorm behave today?" the black she-cat asked, sitting down by her head.

Jay rested her head on Amelia's paws, "Typically; argued with me, disobeyed me. But I think he's starting to understand that he's at our mercy. He'll probably be difficult for a while since that's the way he is, but I think we can trust that he won't do something stupid on purpose."

"Not that he can do much, being blind," Amelia snorted.

Jay shook her head, "I don't want him around my kits, though. I think I'll have Silver be in charge of watching him when she isn't busy."

"Speaking of Silver, she didn't do half bad in the training today," Amelia admitted. "She'll never be able to sneak up right behind a mouse, but I don't think she'll have any trouble during the mission."

 _Right, the mission_. Jay's tail twitched behind her, "We have one more day and then we'll go down into the valley to meet Ash and rescue the kits," she sighed, nervousness battling in her belly, "I can't wait until we're all back home after that," she muttered, closing her eyes.

"I think every cat is waiting for that," Amelia mewed, raising her head to the stars. Just the slightest shadow over her gaze.

* * *

The next day passed in a similar fashion with Silver and Amelia training while Jay and Midnight took turns watching Thunderstorm and the kits. Jay was happy to take her kits out hunting with her but was disappointed when she found they'd rather spend their time playing alone than watching her hunt. She had to wonder if it was because they were growing up or they were growing apart.

There was also a tense atmosphere around the camp that evening, Silver barely ate a thing and even Amelia was quiet. Midnight didn't want to eat anything at all, pacing around as she worried about the mission going wrong. It wasn't until Jay told her that if she didn't eat something she wouldn't be coming along that the black she-cat managed to control her nerves and swallow a few bites of mouse.

Jay's kits stayed by her, murmuring quietly together as they snuggled against her fur and Thunderstorm stared unhappily out of his den. Jay couldn't deny that she had butterflies of her own, making the food tasteless and sleep hard to find.

This would be a difficult and dangerous mission, the chances of everything going their way was low. If they were caught in the camp they probably wouldn't all be able to escape and the kits would be as good as dead. Any plans for defeating the StarReaders would be gone. If she did manage to make it back after the others got caught, she'd have to leave the valley and mountains, maybe even return all the way back to the lake.

The thought of retracing her steps and returning to the life she'd finally been freed from was enough to make her determined to make the plan successful. That stern feeling stayed with her through the night and she greeted the cold morning with a steady gaze, washing her pelt as she sat upon one of the rocks, her paws burning against the sharp frost that coated it.

When Crow arrived after dawn she reluctantly turned the care of her kits over to him and the care of Thunderstorm with the promise that she'd catch him food for the next half-moon. Off set the four she-cats in a silent file as they left the mountains and traversed across the valley, stopping and hunting and resting as they made their way at a forgiving pace toward the meeting point.

Jay glanced between her three compatriots, Midnight looked both nervous and hopeful, Silver looked uncomfortable, eyes shadowed as if she were imagining the worst outcomes possible. Amelia, however, skipped happily along, sure that if nothing else she would be fine.

Jay was fairly pleased with her own abilities, should the worst happen, she had a better chance of getting out than Ash or Silver. Speaking of Ash, they met up with him in the mid-afternoon near her old den where they enjoyed a short nap within the well-insulated but overgrown den until dusk arrived.

"Alright," Jay mewed as she stood at the border, orange and black lines running across the forest ground, "We all know the mission, we're going to rescue the kits and return to the mountains. No talking is allowed beyond this point, we'll only use signals to communicate since this requires silence." The three she-cats nodded and Ash yawned as if he were bored.

Jay ignored him and led the cats into the forest with Ash behind her followed by Silver, Midnight, and Amelia bringing up the rear. Her tail tip twitched and she felt the urge to shiver, a feeling filled her that was similar to going out alone on your first solo assignment and desperately wanting to do well. But this was at another level, if it didn't go well there would be bigger consequences then extra training and a stern talking to.

Pulling off the main trail, Jay led them on a course that avoided all the most visited areas by the cats so that if there were any late hunters, the wouldn't be surprised. Jay's heart was pounding by the time the sun set, heavy gray light settling on the forest and the full moon's milky light clinging to the tops of the trees.

With the ghostly white light above her and the dying foliage around her, turned from their painted reds and oranges to brown and black by the frosts, the feeling of dull death seemed to scour over the chafed ground. She hadn't told any cat but Amelia, but she was worried about the StarReaders.

They had powers and abilities that she didn't understand and they seemed to know something she didn't. It was impossible to predict or come up with a fool-safe plan like usual, this would have to do and they would have to do their best.

Jay lifted her tail straight in the air, the signal that they were nearing the ring of guards around the camp. Spreading out, they approached the stump where there had been a guard. A white and gray she-cat sat on the stump, her fur glowing in a patch of moonlight as she groomed her fur with unconcerned care.

Sky, Jay recognized Screech's sister immediately, remembering that far-away day when she'd saved Screech. She had known then that Sky was a part of the mysterious group in the valley, and although it made sense that she was with the StarReaders, she hadn't made the connection until now.

Her brief meeting with Sky had told her that this was a careless, frivolous she-cat that was infatuated with her cult and was unduly proud of it. Sneaking around Sky would be easy, Jay led the cats in a wide circle, keeping barely out of her sight but passing without attracting any attention.

Once they were on the inside of the circle Jay turned toward Midnight and flicked her tail. This was where the black cat would wait, keeping an eye on the guards and always knowing where the opening laid. The black she-cat took refuge in the shadow between a holly bush and an oak tree where her dark pelt blended in perfectly, the only thing that stuck out was the ice-blue of her eyes.

Jay left her there, content that she wouldn't be spotted and could do her job well. Now was going to be the hardest part. Leading the four cats to the gorse and bramble barrier around the captive side of the camp she saw, as she'd assumed, that there were no openings.

Amelia nodded at her and the two of them set off while Ash and Silver climbed a tree that had branches overhanging into the camp, ready to drop down as soon as they'd dispatched the guards. Slinking along the shadows to the right side of the stream, Jay spotted the one guard at the entrance by the stream, and her tail flicked in surprise to see it was Feather.

The black she-cat with soft gray eyes had been Blizzard's mate and although she'd had a sharp tongue, it was evident that she'd also had a soft spot for kits, although she'd never had any. Jay exchanged a glance with Amelia, but the she-cat didn't know who Feather was and didn't understand that this was not a cat who knew how to fight or defend. _Perhaps she was trained? No, her eyes have a different look in them as well, it's as if she's a whole new cat, younger and stronger._

The other guard, at the top of the hill, was a StarReader that she didn't recognize. Amelia nodded at the StarReader guard and nodded, flicking her tail three times to indicate that once Jay saw her in position to count to three before she attacked the guard down here.

Jay was uncomfortable as she waded through the stream, carefully choosing her steps so as not to fall over. Being a former ThunderClan cat, her lip curled at the feeling of water sloshing her belly and dampening her fur. The water itself was ice cold as well, and her paws were frozen numb before she'd gotten to the other slope, moving into a position to pounce on Feather.

 _Sorry, I didn't hate you, but I've got a mission to complete_. She didn't know how the StarReaders did discipline, but she imagined some cat would get in trouble after all of this. When she saw Amelia appear in the shadows behind her own guard Jay counted to three in her mind and leaped for the black guard.

Jay hit Feather in the head, her whole force knocking the she-cat onto the ground where she remained, dazed, with her gray eyes staring blankly at the silver tinged grass that her head rested on. Before the she-cat could hope to draw in a breath, Jay wrapped her paws around her neck and pulled.

Choking whispers whistled past her mouth but in such a low key that Jay could barely hear it and before long the she-cat's eyes rolled back into her head and Jay released her. She'd be out for a little while. Amelia was already skipping down the slope, her own victim collapsed on the ground.

Jay sniffed the air, making sure that Amelia hadn't cut the guard; since blood was a powerful scent, she didn't want to alert any cat by slicing the throats of the guards. Silver and Ash had already leaped down onto the captive side of the clearing, searching among the sleeping cats for the kits.

Jay leaped across the stream followed by Amelia and as she sent the black she-cat to help get the kits, she looked around, searching for familiar faces. She recognized many of Python's cats, including Night, Spark, and Glade. And several Ivy Cats, a pair that shocked her was that Pine and Night were curled together in the recesses of shadows.

Taking a step toward them she halted as a cat hissed her name, turning around she was confronted by a graceful red she-cat with white streaks and vibrant gold eyes- it was Swoop. "Jay!" the she-cat's soft voice was thick with relief and Jay could see tears brimming in her gaze. "You're alive!"

Jay was taken aback, yes, they'd been friends, but this was a little too emotional for her. She nodded her head awkwardly, "Yes," she whispered, "I see you are alive too."

Swoop looked behind her where Ash, Silver, and Amelia were feeding the reclaimed kits the poppy seeds Jay had given to Silver when they left. "Is that Ash? What are they doing?" Swoop's confused golden gaze turned on her and Jay realized this was her chance.

"We're saving three kits that were captured. But don't worry, we won't stop there. I can't tell you everything yet, but please tell the others that we're going to save them. Keep it secret, just on this side of the camp," Jay whispered quickly, walking closer to the she-cat so that she could lower her voice.

"You're going to get us out?" Hope and gratitude filled her gaze, "I'll try to tell the others that are living with the StarReaders too," Swoop promised quickly.

But Jay shook her head firmly, "No, don't tell them. At least not yet, we don't know who wants what over there. But have hope, I'll get you out of here," she promised, linking her tail with Swoop's for a moment.

"But can you? They've already killed Thunderstorm," grief clung to Swoop's eyes and Jay remembered that Swoop was his mother.

She touched her muzzle to Swoop's ear, "Don't worry, I saved him, he's with me now and you'll see him again when I get you out of here."

Swoop looked at her in shock and then pulled away quickly, hurrying over to a dark, little figure curled up under a gorse tendril. Swoop grabbed it and hurried back to her, a sleepy eyed red-brown and white tom yawning in her grasp. "Please take Eagle with you," she begged, reaching out to give Jay her son.

But Jay took a step back, startled by this sudden turn. She looked over her shoulder and saw Ash flicking his tail at her impatiently, Breeze at his paws. His gray eyes bored into her condescendingly, _go on, refuse her, show her that you only care about yourself._

Jay's jaw set into a hard nod and she looked back at Swoop, "Okay," she mewed, grabbing Eagle from her grasp and before Swoop could put into the words that glimmered in her gold eyes, she'd already hurried over to Silver and force-fed the tom the remaining poppy seeds- four would make him sleep until sun-high.

Amelia had already leaped up back into the tree, Rusty in her jaws. Silver followed with Panther and, after he,r Ash with Breeze. Jay went last, bracing herself to leap the five fox-lengths into the air with a five moon old kit in her jaws. Such a height was hard to do on its own, the reason why no cat had escaped this way before, but Jay had to do it right now for she saw Feather starting to wake up and there would soon be chaos.

Using all her strength she managed to get three paws onto the branch and she curled her claws into the malleable wood as it bounced and swayed beneath her. Neck straining from the weight of Eagle, she gave Swoop another nod and trotted along the branch toward the trunk, relaxing as the branch grew thicker.

Climbing down from the tree she nodded at the three other cats, pleased to see that all three kits, although thinner than before, were fine. Silver seemed surprised as she stared at the much larger kit that Jay held, but she ignored it and led them along to where Midnight should be. They had to get out of the circle before the guards were warned or else they'd be caught in a fight and caught.

Jay took a deep breath of the air, pinpointing where Midnight was and charging soundlessly through the forest. The moment she came to a halt in front of Midnight the overwhelming scent of blood hit her like a rock and she stumbled, eyes blinking in shock.

There on the carpet of dead leaves laid Midnight, her black fur darkening with blood and ice-blue eyes staring forward, lifelessly. There were no ghastly choking sounds, no struggle, Midnight had simply been killed like a piece of prey, Jay was close enough to still feel warmth emanating from her.

And the hunter stood there, white fur gleaming with a dull luster and pale violet eyes twinkling happily. "Come to the slaughter, you star-crossing cowards."


	34. Paternal Duties

The white light of the moon was so bright. When had it gotten so close? It was larger than the sun and Jay had to avert her eyes away because it blinded her, her paws tripping over herself as she took refuge in a shadow. Now her vision was black and she could hear harsh pants, her own harsh pants and the throbbing of her heart.

She pressed her back against the cool birch tree that cast the shadow over her. Her legs were trembling and her neck ached, but why? Her mind was blank, an inviting darkness of nothingness that covered all rational thought and left her helpless to emotion.

She was angry. She was sad. She felt responsible. She was tired. She felt awful. She was alone. The cause for this was not something she could trace back very well. In the murkiness of her mind she looked around, the only living creature in sight was the heavy kit she carried in her grasp.

But it wasn't her kit, it wasn't a kit they'd come to rescue. Why had she taken this cat with her? Where were the others? Who had she been running from? Ah, that's right, a bright thought shone from the depths of her boggy mind.

She'd been running, that was why she felt tired and her legs trembled. She'd been running from something very bright, a light that scorched fear through her, an irrational fear that drove out reason. The others... the others were Ash, Silver, Amelia, and Midnight.

Ah ha, there was another thought. Midnight was dead now, killed by a StarReader. A white StarReader whose pelt reflected the moonlight like how Midnight's fur had smothered it. The smell of blood still lingered in her nose. After coming upon her slain acquaintance, the StarReader had lunged into the group of cats with a blood-curling screech.

So they'd ran, taking advantage of their fear to give them speed, and scattered throughout the forest. No cat had stopped to think of what would happen to Midnight's body, they were too busy worrying over saving their own skin. And she was no exception. The dead were not as important as the living. The grief she felt for Midnight was nothing compared to the desire to reunite with the other members of the rescue mission and get out of the forest safely.

Now the thick muddiness in her mind had been dispelled and she felt the light of reason descend again upon her as the chilly breeze ran through her whiskers. She was still deep in StarReader territory, although she couldn't recognize exactly where she was, the scent of mushrooms told her she was near the middle, as this was where it was dampest in the forest.

The StarReader scent had increased since they'd arrived that evening, the activity stirring up more scents than usual. Although it was quiet around her, Jay knew how quickly that could change in a forest. The thick foliage hid sounds and scents until the danger was nearly too close to escape.

Midnight had no doubt been killed in such a way, as there had been no struggle and no sound of a confrontation. Chances were Midnight hadn't even realized what was happening until she was dead. The difficulties her death caused would have to be addressed later, for now, Jay needed to find where her comrades were.

_Amelia will be fine, she can run faster than any cat I know. Ash can probably slip away safely enough and knows the area well enough to not get caught. Silver, though, she's too fiery for her own good. If she sees a StarReader she'll probably be stupid enough to fight it in the name of avenging Midnight rather than run away._

Jay decided to set off, keeping to the ground since leaping from tree to tree would be difficult while holding a kit as big as Eagle. He still slept peacefully and Jay couldn't decide if feeding him poppy seeds was a stroke of genius or incredibly foolish. Since now she couldn't have him run for his life should she have to engage foes but he also wouldn't give away her location by making noise or bothering her with questions.

Twitching her tail, she paused as she heard crackling from up ahead. She was up wind and immediately backed into a juniper bush, only her eyes peering out. Three StarReaders tramped through, their heads lowered and their nostrils flaring as they tried to pick up her scent.

She held perfectly still, breath held as she watched them pass, her eyes trained firmest on Olive, the pale gray tabby tom who had been Thunderstorm's friend and Rainfall's mate. He paused once, his pale green eyes sweeping through the dark and Jay remained absolutely still, not flinching as his eyes seemed to meet hers.

He shrugged and followed the rest of the cats as they followed her disappearing scent trail. _What a hunter he is,_ she thought sarcastically. What would she do if she couldn't find prey right in front of her? Yes, she'd purposefully brushed up against plants to mask her smell and leave it more strongly up ahead, but still.

Right, back to finding Silver. Supposing there were similar groups of cats looking throughout the forest, she'd have to be careful not to run into any. If she did, she'd have to leave right away and then Silver would be on her own. It was like a double game of hide-and-seek, if she was caught she lost, but if she managed to catch Silver, she won.

The moon was starting to slide down behind the mountains, looking like it was a half moon instead of a full moon as it played behind the peaks. Frost was forming on the ground, gathering white and silver on the edges of fallen leaves.

The slight breeze was blowing in her direction, meaning she was downwind now. She drew in the scents of the leaf-fall forest, scents of decay and the cleaner scent of frost. But they didn't cover up the StarReader scent that loomed strongly ahead.

Jay changed direction and swept north through the woods, keeping careful check on the position of the patrols around her. In her mind she could see it, a group behind her head northeast, a group before her heading southwest and another group to the south that was heading straight for her. But by the time they reached where she was now, she'd already have moved to an entirely new position.

 _But where are the others?_ She hadn't caught the faintest scent of any of her comrades. Surely they hadn't all been captured? She debated whether she should go to spy on the camp to check and see but as she turned her paws in that direction she heard a quiet hiss.

Stiffening and raising her hackles, she turned toward the source of the sound. Although she couldn't see him, Jay pinpointed Ash almost immediately through what she could only call extreme loathing. Her hate seemed drawn in his direction although she couldn't sense him at all.

"There you are," she grumbled crossly, annoyed with herself for not spotting him earlier. He was safely screened behind a gorse bush, orange pelt blending in with the tawny brown of the dying stalks and scent masked with what seemed to be a musky flower scent- incredibly forest-like. She slid in beside him, checking quickly to see that he wasn't injured and neither was Breeze who was sleeping at her paws.

Ash glanced at Eagle as she set him down, sighing from the relief of being able to stretch her neck out again. "First you save Midnight's kits, now Swoop's? One would almost think you cared about others," Ash muttered but she didn't answer.

Jay peered out of the gorse bush, "Do you know where the others are?" she asked.

"I was working on it," he grunted, shifting into a more comfortable position with his paws tucked under his chest. "Amelia is already out of the territory with her kit, waiting at your den. I don't know where Silver is. But I do know she hasn't gotten caught yet," he added.

"And how would you know that?' Jay grumbled, thinking it was unfair that he knew so much more than her.

"I followed her for a while until we got separated. Lune went back to camp, so we don't have to worry about her. But there are several others to look out for."

"Was Lune the one that killed Midnight?" Jay growled, feeling a prick of sadness as she thought of Midnight's body growing cold, surrounded only by enemies.

"Yeah, Lune isn't the type of cat that could last in a drawn out fight against a cat like you or I, but she's impossible to fend off if it's a surprise attack or if she makes the first move," Ash mewed, "So now that she doesn't know where we are, she has no edge on us."

"Hmm," Jay narrowed her eyes, they had to get moving or the patrol heading toward them would be on top of them.

"Do you have any idea where Silver could be?" Ash asked, "You know her better, after all."

Jay scoffed, "I don't spend quality time with her and if she heard you even hint that we have any sort of relationship she'd claw your ears off."

"So you're saying you do know her well."

"Shut up," Jay whacked him with her tail as she grabbed Eagle. "I have an idea, let's go."

Trotting through the pale-lit forest, she led Ash along a thin trail of grass that wound through the darkest parts where full pines mixed with the bare oaks and aspens. Silver was a rather realistic cat with a touch of melancholy and nostalgia to her that irked Jay. Chances were, the she-cat would head for the only place that she knew that held any importance to her.

They returned deep into StarReader territory, passing the camp and nearing the northern border mountains as the first inkling of pale blue broke the dark gray of the predawn darkness. "She's there?" Ash seemed to have finally realized where they were going, gray eyes sparking angrily in exhaustion. "Are you sure about this?"

Jay shrugged, "I don't know, but you're the one that insisted that I knew everything about her."

Ash muttered under his breath but turned his eyes from her to the sky above, "It'll be light soon."

"So hurry up, mister obvious," Jay growled, kicking up her paws and leaping into a run. Ash had to struggle to keep up as she led the chase along a sparsely edged dirt trail that ran parallel to the northern mountains.

Before long she could see the rocks in the distance, all of them at least twice as big as the rocks back in their camp and some nearly three times as large, deposited into a hollow by some ancient landslide. Although their color was naturally gray, in the early morning light that flowed upon them, they seemed pale-gold like giant, hard dew-drops that perpetually gathered the sunlight into them.

"And there is our missing friend," Jay mewed, with a note of satisfaction. Pressed against a rock at the edge of the clearing was a hunched over pale gray figure. Jay gave Ash an 'I-told-you' look and proceeded to trot down to meet Silver with her tail raised in the air.

The dark gray she-cat and the orange tom halted in front of Silver, their precious bundles hanging limply from their jaws as their shadows fell across the pale tabby's dejected figure. Putting down Eagle, Jay mewed to Silver, "Come on, now. Let's get out of here."

Silver didn't respond and Jay frowned, there was no scent of blood and no sign of harm on Panther whom Silver held between her paws. Why was Silver staring at the ground? Jay couldn't see her face and she tilted her head, "What's the matter? We need to go," she mewed impatiently.

Silver seemed to stiffen and she turned her head away, keeping it bent so much that Jay couldn't see her face. "Why?" the tabby's whispered question seemed heavy in the air. Jay kept her mouth shut but Ash wasn't so wise.

"Why? Because the StarReaders will skin us alive if they find us and these kits will be waking up and causing a hassle before long," he mewed crossly.

"What was the point of this mission?" the tabby asked, her voice was thick and her shoulders trembled.

Jay stepped forward calmly, "To rescue the kits. So let us complete that task."

Silver flattened her ears and jerked her head up, blue eyes watering and nose sniffling, "You don't care that she died at all! You're happy that you have one less nuisance, aren't you?! You're heartless, and terrible, and mean, and-" The tabby's chest heaved as if she were trying to draw in more insults with her breath. "Just go away!" Silver glared harshly at the two of them.

Ash growled, "Now look here-" Jay blocked him with her tail and pushed him back out of earshot of Silver. "What are you doing? She's completely unreasonable!"

"No, she's just grieving. Unlike you and I, she isn't unaffected by death. She feels it sharply and it hurts her," Jay mewed and a firm and low voice.

Ash laid his ears back, "I don't enjoy others dying either," he growled.

"Really?" Jay mewed sarcastically, "Because I was fairly sure that this was all your fault in the first place. Now go over there and let me talk to her," she mewed, flicking with her tail to order him to wait on the other side of the clearing.

With a sigh Jay thought back to Thyme, she remembered how distressed she'd been. Thyme had been the only cat that had made her stay with the Ivy Cats bearable, and when that face had been stolen, she had felt like giving up. Silver was in a similar position, while stuck with her and Amelia, she and Midnight had grown into fast friends. Now that happiness was lost, but not forever, and Jay had to help her see that.

Turning back to the pale tabby who had her head lowered again, hiding her tears and sadness from her by keeping her eyes turned away. "Silver," she mewed gravely, sitting down by the pale tabby she compelled the she-cat to raise her eyes to meet her own.

"What do you want now? Can't you leave me alone?" the tabby almost sounded like she was pleading now.

"If I thought that was an option I would. But we are still deep in enemy territory and we are still on a mission, this is not the time to indulge our feelings," she mewed.

"Only a cat without a heart could ignore their feelings at a time like this," Silver blubbered, suppressing another sob and hiding her face.

"Look at me, Silver," Jay calmly commanded and the pale tabby raised her head, pooling blue eyes meeting hers with a rebellious glare. "You are confusing unfeeling with discipline. I was raised to push on in difficult circumstances, complete a mission under sorrow and trials. I know this is hard, but there is nothing we can do for Midnight now except save her kits."

"What's the point of saving her kits if she isn't here?" Silver challenged, fresh tears sprouting as she looked down at the sleeping Panther, the tiny black kit curled in a tiny ball at her paws.

"Just because Midnight is not here does not mean there is no meaning to these kits' lives. We can save them for their own sake, if not in honor of what we both know was Midnight's greatest wish. I don't recall Midnight ever saying she wanted her kits back to make her happy, she wanted to save them so that they could have a life."

Silver was still sniffling but her tears were drying and Jay could see that she was breaking through the cloud of grief that hung over her. "Now, let's see Midnight's wish through," Jay mewed, picking up Eagle again.

Silver stared upward for a few moments, taking deep breaths as her eyes strayed to the western end of the sky where it was still deep gray. "Alright," her quiet mew was shaky, but filled with a reserve of strength. Jay nodded as she picked up Panther.

Signaling for Ash, Jay led close at Silver's side out of the hollow and further along the northern mountains. There were no trees to shelter them, but they were so far out of the way Jay doubted any cat was looking in this area and they never saw hide nor hair of any StarReaders as they swept the long way around the territory, following the north border until it reached the eastern mountains and then turning south.

They walked in silence, kits gripped firmly by the scruff, as the sun rose over the mountain tops, reaching for its highest point, it shed its pathetically cold light upon them. When they reached the end of StarReader territory Jay found Amelia waiting for them, despite Ash saying she was at her old den.

With a few hollow nods they greeted her as they continued on their silent procession to their mountain home. When they reached the base of the mountain trail Ash paused, shuffling his paws. Jay glanced back at him as the others started on ahead, "You're coming with us," she mewed without any room for argument. Ash shrugged and followed with a quiet sigh.

Tired step upon tired step they dragged themselves up, sadness, disappointment, and weariness weighing them down. Crawling through the tunnels with the sleeping kits was difficult and they had to take a quick breather on the other side of the mountain before walking down the last bit of trail to the camp.

Oh! What a sight. Sweeter than a soft nest after a long day's work or a cool stream on a scorching day. The camp lay bare and desolate, the grating sand glaring the sun's light back up at them. But the three faces that were peeking discreetly over a sand-colored rock gave a relief similar to waking up from a nightmare to find yourself in a beautiful, quite hollow with your lover.

That's right. Even without Midnight, she was alright. Because her kits were alright. She set Eagle down in the sand and let out an audible sigh, forgetting the cats around her she moved toward her kits and before she realized it she'd scooped them up against her chest with her nose buried in their fur, just breathing in their scents as they asked innocent questions.

It took her a few minutes to come back to her senses and she released her kits, taking a step back and looking down fondly upon them. Ice and Hail raced off to investigate the new kits that were still sleeping and had been dropped in a pile but Flint remained by her, staring up worriedly.

"Are you okay, mom?"

Jay purred, brushing his ears with her tail, "Yeah, I'm fine. It was a hard mission though," she mewed and startled herself when her voice cracked. "Midnight died," she mewed. For a moment she wondered if she should have told her kit such distressing news, but when she saw his dark eyes sadden and felt him push into her fur for comfort she felt better at sharing her silent grief. "You're a good son, Flint," she whispered, closing her eyes and touching the top of his head with her nose.

"Hey, Jay," she let out a deep sigh as Ash's annoyed voice spoke up behind her.

"What is it?" she asked, keeping her voice light as she shooed Flint off toward his litter-mates.

"I'm leaving," he mewed, a daring light in his gray eyes. He was baiting her to argue with him, and argue she would.

"Your kits are here," she mewed, pointing slowly at the pile of kits that Silver was sitting by, Crow was with her, seemingly grieved as well by the loss of Midnight.

"They aren't mine. They're Midnight's."

Jay lashed her tail and flicked her ears, "Midnight is dead," she growled.

"What does that have to do with me?" Ash asked angrily, stomping closer.

"Your kits have no other kin right now! Crystal and the others are still with the StarReaders, they have no other family to take care of them other than their father!"

"They aren't mine! I wasn't mates with Midnight, and I never had kits with her. I barely knew her!" Ash raged angrily, circling around her, head down and tail whipping.

"But they are. Midnight never tried to claim you had any responsibility, but I know you are the father. And now that Midnight has given her life for your kits, you should step in to be a father for them in this difficult time," Jay demanded.

Ash glared at her, "You just want me in a place where you can watch me," he snarled, "That's why you brought me here, isn't it?!"

Jay laid her ears flat against her head, "No, and I wasn't going to force you or the kits to stay here. They are old enough to eat solid food if they must. But I have a feeling you don't know how to take care of kits," she mewed.

"Then why trust them to a cat who can't take care of them? You want them to end up dead?" Ash asked incredulously, stopping in front of her.

"I'm not going to force you to take full-time care of them because I think both you and the kits would end up dead. But in return for taking care of them myself, I want you to be a father. I want you to have a relationship and care for them in your own way. Not dump them on me and never have a thing to do with them again," Jay growled.

"Ha! You think I'd agree to play father to those kits? Do I seem like a father type of cat to you?" he smirked and Jay smirked back.

"Do I seem like a mother type of cat?" her retort left him quiet for a few moments and in that time her kits came up, asking for details about the new kits and how the fight had gone, which Jay promised to give them later. "Your kits will change your whole world," Jay mewed as Ash glanced at his kits.

He gave her a sharp look and snorted, "I'm too tired to go back to the valley today. I'll rest until tomorrow and think about it."

With that he padded to Amelia's rock and leaped on top of it, curling down on the only surface that seemed to retain heat. "You really think he could ever be a good father to those kits?" Amelia asked in a grumble, coming up behind her and looking a little peeved that he was using her rock

Jay shrugged, "He may not know it, but I'm only going to allow him to live if he chooses to be a father. And... she glanced at the kits, Breeze and Eagle were waking up, blinking in shock as they looked at their surroundings. Jay headed toward the pile of kits, "I think being a good parent is more about trying your best than actually being good."


	35. Drop Off

Ash did stay, or at least, he stayed for a while. The moon after the mission's completion seemed to drag on forever, but looking back, it seemed more like is flew by in a heartbeat. Jay was now always busy taking care of the four new kits- which resulted in an increased workload that seemed to transfer over to a shorter day.

Thunderstorm was surprised, and discreetly pleased, to find out his younger brother was among the rescued kits and Eagle was likewise relieved to find the older brother he'd thought dead. The two toms spent most of the first half moon together but Eagle was drawn out by the temptation of other playmates and Thunderstorm stubbornly remained solo.

Rusty, Breeze, and Panther thrived in an environment where they could eat their fill and play in the sun with other kits. At first, the three littermates remained in a little huddle in the back of Jay's den and only moved from their corner to come eat. They only vaguely felt the loss of the mother they'd half-forgotten, but they felt more alone than ever living with strangers.

But after a few days Flint and the others managed to successfully invite them to play a game. Though for the next few days Panther continued to only sit and crouch in the sand watching the game, the shy little kit a black stain on the pale sand. But even she managed to join in the fun after a few days, romping and playing on the outskirts of the larger kits' rough play-fighting.

That moon was probably hardest on Silver. The she-cat officially moved into Midnight's old den, didn't speak much to any cat, and spent most of her time out in the forest by herself. When she was in camp she spent a surprisingly large amount of time with Thunderstorm. The tom never talked to her and she never to him, but they seemed to at least agree with the silent companionship. Jay left her alone to deal with grief her own way.

Amelia continued on as always, complaining but doing whatever Jay ordered her to do and enjoying her rock, which she asserted was strictly her own by tearing half of Ash's pelt off when she caught him taking a snooze there. Amelia was completely unaffected by Midnight's death, neither happy nor sad, just shrugging and saying, "It's part of life."

Jay was particularly proud of her own kits' behavior during that moon, staying happy even though she knew they missed Midnight and making the new kits feel welcome. The only tough spot was about at the half moon when Eagle told Ice and the younger kits not to get in the way of his game with Flint and Hail, signaling Ice out with the younger kits because she was a she-cat.

Ice, who had never even thought being a she-cat or tom mattered when it came to strength, proved Eagle was wrong when she beat the older, and much larger kit, by herself. Something that shamed Eagle enough to hide behind Thunderstorm for three days before rejoining the kits, without apology but without further mention to Ice being weak or a she-cat.

Ash only stayed at the camp for four days to, "recover and make sure the kits are okay," before leaving in the middle of the night without a word. He returned not long after the half-moon for a day and caught a mouse for his kits, though he barely spoke to them and didn't help feed them. He left that evening without speaking much to any cat and Jay had to wonder if he was trying to step into the role of father with tiny paw-steps or if he had just been bored or curious.

Jay, however, was never left bored during that moon. The instant increase of work left her head spinning. All four of the kits had suffered malnutrition in their captivity; the three youngest from having to switch from a milk diet to a pure meat diet at two moons had left them with distended bellies from starvation, bleeding gums, and upset stomachs. Jay had given them one juniper berry each a day and only milk for the first half-moon, couple that with the added sunshine they got in a camp not shaded by trees and the exercise and mirth from friends, they improved rapidly.

Eagle was a little tougher, he seemed to have been mistreated but Jay wasn't sure by whom, since Amelia said that the StarReaders didn't usually touch their captives. Jay asked Thunderstorm but he didn't answer, muttering under his breath whenever Jay brought up the subject.

Eagle had suffered from frequent lacerations, nothing serious alone, simply cuts and scratches that could result from being too clumsy in a play-fight or a run through the forest. Of course, Eagle had been doing neither so where they had come from was a mystery. Jay put marigold on his scratches and watched to make sure the infection that had been threatening left.

He too, with the better food, sunlight, and exercise grew stronger in the moon. Though he had trouble play-fighting at first, since he wasn't used to fighting, being groomed to become a hunter and not a fighter. But it took only a couple soft beatings from the smaller kits to teach him how to use his superior size and weight to his advantage.

All that hunting for herbs, extra hunting, and giving extra milk, left Jay feeling weak and tired, sometimes even dizzy, for days and days. Amelia helped with the hunting, of course, and Silver caught her own food and occasionally Thunderstorm's or Crow's, but Jay was nearly taking care of all seven kits on her own and except for the time when they took a nap together in the afternoon sun, was chasing after one mischievous kit or another.

 _How am I going to save the cats in the valley when I'm too busy to give my own pelt a good washing?!_ The exasperated thought came to her as she laid in her den a few days after the full moon, just past a moon since the mission.

A mass of kittens were snuggled all around her. Her own kits had taken to sleeping by her head since the younger kits were more likely to need to nurse during the night and took up most of the space by her belly. Eagle, who switched between sleeping by his friends and by his brother, was curled up against her back, his sides rising and falling in slow rhythm.

The cold air hugged the open-air den and Jay was reminded about the need to find a more enclosed den for leaf-bare. _But I still don't know if we'll stay here all leaf-bare,_ since she'd never spent a leaf-bare in the mountains she wasn't sure what to expect. Ash had warned against it while Thunderstorm hadn't commented, since he'd only lived in the valley, and Silver was as new to the mountains as she was.

She'd asked Crow, and the tom had said he planned on staying on the mountainside through leaf-bare. But Jay had to wonder, sure, they'd managed to find enough food through green-leaf and leaf-fall on the mountainside, but the forest here was only a fragment of the size of ThunderClan's forest and even though there were less of them, there were quite a few more mouths than a single old tom.

Jay wished she knew if Python had weathered a leaf-bare here with his soldiers, but the only cats to ask about that were being held by the StarReaders. Laying her head down by her kits she peered out into the night.

The camp lay quiet before her, all the cats were sound asleep already. The sliver of sky that was visible was blocked out by thick gray clouds that prevented any moonlight from making its way to the ground below. There was no wind and a light fog had rolled in with dusk, coating the trees in white breath that would have been silver if the moon had been out.

The dark was comfortable, a soft coldness that Jay didn't mind. Snuggling the kits closer to keep them warm, she laid her tail over Eagle, who was the closest to the entrance, and closed her eyes, ready to fall asleep amongst the heartbeats of all seven kits.

She must have slept deeply, for she didn't remember her dreams that night, but she woke easily, a single crunch in the still air sent her heartbeat spinning and fully awoke her senses. Raising her head she blinked her eyes a couple times, flaring her nostrils as she drew in the scent.

After a few moments of staring into blackness and smelling the air she relaxed, it was only Ash. His steps were quiet, but she could tell when he reached the frosted sand by the slight, steady crunch. He came toward her but she couldn't see him until his black silhouette was outlined in front of her against the slightly less dark shadows.

"It's the middle of the night," Jay growled in annoyance, tail flicking against Eagle and words garbled from sleep.

"How are the kits?" his voice was garbled as well and she wondered what he had been doing.

"They're fine, see?" she pointed with her muzzle at her belly and Ash leaned over her flank to look down at the kits. "Now what are you-?" she paused as he stepped over her, pulling his kits away from her belly and curling down around them between her and the wall, which wasn't a big space at all. Jay sneezed as his tail tickled her nose and shifted as his legs pressed up against her belly.

Ash didn't say anything and he seemed to be asleep in a few moments so Jay, figuring that since because it was the middle of the night and every other cat was asleep, she'd put up with this close proximity for tonight and get answers in the morning. _Huh, it's so much warmer all of a sudden..._

* * *

Jay slept in next morning and was awoken by the kits clambering all over her, getting their milk and playing with each other inside the den that seemed even smaller with kits swarming around it. With a kit flopped on her flank, Panther suckling at her belly, and a paw thrust in her face, Jay opened her eyes to greet the new day.

Ash was gone and mid-morning sunlight shone through the air, though the den itself was wrapped in gray shadow. After taking a few moments to calm the kits, she had nursed her own kits- who didn't take that much milk anymore- and fed Rusty, Breeze, and Panther. Eagle had been impatiently waiting for his play-mates to finish and when Jay's kits finished first, all four of them jumped out into the camp, rolling and falling over each other in the sand.

With a chuckle, Jay kept an eye on them and washed the three kits at her belly, tenderly grooming their fluffy fur. Although Jay wouldn't claim she had the same bond with these other kits as her own, it was nearly impossible to not form some sort of relationship with kits that suckled and slept at your own belly. And Jay felt she had a positive relationship with them, and it eased her grief over Midnight to know that she was taking care of her kits.

"Are you going to play with the other kits today, Panther?" Jay asked gently, flicking the black she-kit over the ear with her tail.

Panther looked up, gray eyes bright as she nodded vigorously. She didn't talk much, but her face was surprisingly expressive and from her quivering whiskers and bright eyes she looked ready to play the day away. Once all the kits were out of the den, Jay had a moment to sigh and stretch her muscles, rolling over and flicking a few scraps of moss from her pelt as she regarded the camp from the shelter of the den.

The frost had already melted away in the camp, but in the shadows the silver glaze lingered. Looking around, she saw Amelia already soaking up the sunlight on her rock, a tempting pile of prey at the base of her sunning spot. Silver seemed to have already left camp and Thunderstorm was gnawing on a stringy starling at the entrance of his den, a typical scowl on his face.

But there was no sign of Ash. _If he woke me up just to sleep a few hours with his kits I'll wring his skinny little neck._ "Mom, mom! Look what I can do!" Jay turned, purring, as Rusty crouched on the sand in front of the den, facing her with his eyes sparkling and tail waving in the air. With an impressive leap he landed up on top of the den.

Stepping out of it, she purred at the little ginger-striped kit as he stood proudly on top of the rock, chest puffed out. Even Hail couldn't leap that high yet and Jay felt a tickle of pleasure as she saw how gleeful his amber eyes were. "Well done, but be careful, I don't want you to fall," she warned. The top of the den was fairly flat, but it had the slickest surface out of all the rocks in the clearing. If he didn't land right when leaping down he could really hurt himself.

"I'll be fine!" he called down, proving his point by carefully crouching and stalking toward the edge of the rock and pushing off with his hindlegs, landing in the sand by her paws. "See?" he purred, tail sticking straight in the air.

Jay laughed, "Alright, you little show off, go play with the others now," she mewed, nosing him toward the other kits who were chasing a leaf around the camp, Flint and Eagle leading the others in the chase. Rusty nodded and bounded over to them, chasing after the pack of kits.

Not all the kits were chasing it though, it seemed Panther wasn't playing right now after all, she and Ice sat in the shadow of a rock, watching the game with narrowed eyes. The two she-kits were surprisingly close, Jay supposed it was because they were the only two who might choose to talk rather than play all day long.

Padding over to Amelia's rock, Jay picked up a mouse from the pile of prey. It looked thin and was as cold as the pale sunlight that filled the camp. The sun's light held barely a hint of warmth and the constant breeze flowing down the mountainside could make you forget it.

Sitting down in a sunny spot on the sand. Jay ate the food while watching the kits play. They usually played until sun-high, ate, and then napped until mid-afternoon. When they woke up they played again until twilight, ate, and slept through the night.

That was the schedule Jay was used to, her life was commanded by the kits. She spent her time watching them, feeding them, sleeping with them, hunting for them, grooming them, playing with them. On one paw, she rejoiced at spending more time with her kits again and enjoyed the time with the other kits as well, on the other paw, she knew she couldn't keep this up for long if she wanted to rescue the captive cats.

"That was a pretty heavy sigh, whatcha thinking 'bout?" Amelia's lazy mew came from behind her and she glanced over her shoulder to see the black she-cat stumbling on tired paws, yawning, with her eyes half-closed.

"I didn't realize that I'd sighed," Jay mewed as Amelia sat down next to her, leaning against her.

"It was pretty loud, a deaf squirrel couldn't miss it."

"I think you're exaggerating," Jay growled. "But did you see Ash this morning?"

"Him?" Amelia blinked her amber eyes at her innocently, "I wasn't aware he'd come back here."

Jay growled and rolled her eyes, "Even if you somehow hadn't seen or heard him, his scent was pretty strong when I woke up, at least, it wasn't weak enough for a cat who went hunting to miss it," she mewed pointedly.

"Alright, alright, I saw him but I didn't talk to him. He talked a bit to Thunderstorm then went out into the forest, he's still there now," Amelia mewed.

"Where in the forest?" Jay asked, finishing off her mouse and standing up.

"By that rock outcropping that kind of hangs out over the edge of the mountainside that makes it look like if you slip off you're going to die," the black she-cat mewed.

"It looks like that because if you do fall off it, you will die," Jay answered back. "Watch the kits, I won't be long," she mewed, ignoring Amelia's complaining voice at having to watch the, 'pack of furballs.'

"You, let me come with you," Jay paused as she passed Thunderstorm's den, the dark gray tom stood up, blind eyes turned toward her.

"Stay here, I'm trying to go quickly," she snapped the order impatiently but he didn't flinch.

"I'm coming with you," he replied stubbornly, "I never get to leave this gosh-forsaken camp."

Tapping her claws against the ground Jay snapped a, "fine, but you better keep up," wrapped her tail around his neck and broke into a run, dragging him through every burr thicket and prickly bush she could find while she avoided it all.

But he never complained, so she supposed she had to give him that. When they reached the trail that ran unevenly along the 'drop-off' which is what her kits had dubbed the place where the ground fell away into a steep, unbroken slope until it reached the bottom of the mountain far below, Jay slowed down since as much as she didn't like him, she didn't want Thunderstorm to fall and break his neck after eating food that they'd caught him for a moon. It would be such a waste.

"Ah, there he is," Jay muttered as the outcropping came into view. It was further along the tail then where Python had taken her when she'd reported to him after returning from her mission. A long, thin, finger of gray stone that looked too brittle to touch or it would fall off.

Jay never went out over the edge where it was hanging in free space and once when Flint had excitedly bounced all the way out to the edge to look down over the edge she'd nearly died from fright and had forbidden any of the kits to ever so much as look at it again.

But laid out on the end, paws hanging off as if it were merely the bank of a shallow pool and not a drop that would kill him or anything else for that matter, was Ash Thunderstorm had remained quiet and Jay hadn't called out either but Ash, who seemed to have been dozing, opened his eyes and looked back at them lazily. "Took you long enough to get here," he called.

"What do you want? If you're not taking care of your kits than I have to remind you that I don't want you here," Jay answered. That had been their deal, Ash could only come if he were taking care of the kits and if he did anything else Jay would kill him. And if he didn't visit the kits once a moon, she would also kill him.

Ash sat up and signaled with his tail to invite her out onto the outcropping, "No way," Jay answered, planting her paws firmly on the stone that rested on solid ground. What if he simply meant to push her off? Or push Thunderstorm off and blame her for it? Of course, she could push him off just as easily, but it wasn't going to help her with getting cats on her side if she randomly murdered cats, despite what reasons she may have.

"Relax, I just want to talk to you about a matter I think you need to take more seriously than you have been," Ash mewed, his eyes were demure for once and he looked her straight in the face instead of his usual sly glances and pointed expressions.

Jay relaxed her shoulders and, waving Thunderstorm back, took a few steps out on the outcropping, still keeping a good four fox-lengths between them, if he made a move, she could hope back to safely much faster that he could reach her. She tried to ignore the empty air around her that seemed to suck at her fur.

"What? You don't trust me?" Ash smiled innocently and Jay smiled back.

"Oh but I do, I trust you as much as I would a fox."

Ash shrugged, "You hurt my feelings. But your paranoia aside, I want to ask you this; where do you plan on spending the cold season?" His gray eyes were clear of emotion and of the hazy smoke, a perfect mirror for Jay to see what was swirling in her own deep blue eyes.

"I haven't decided yet," Jay mewed testily, feeling uncomfortable under his unusual neutral gaze.

"The cold season is nearly here. Once the snow falls there won't be any going back because even if you can get in and out at first, you won't be able to get the kits out. A few of them will die."

"And why do you care?" Jay challenged, "They're my responsibility."

"Actually," Ash put in mildly, "You seem to love to remind me that I have three kits among them. I have a valid interest here, as a father, of course." Somehow she didn't trust the slight smile he was giving her.

"There won't be snow for another moon, I have time," Jay mewed stubbornly.

Ash shook his head, "You can't say that for sure, there might not be snow for another two moons, or it could snow tomorrow. You should have learned by now how quickly the mountains can change. What I know now is that it is getting cold enough at night for there to be snow, if there is frost, there could be snow."

Jay's tail twitched, she knew he was right, but she didn't know what to do. Could she go scouting for a new home this late? What if she couldn't find anything and was stuck here? What if it was fine for them to stay here? What if it wasn't? She didn't know enough and she knew that was exactly what Ash wanted.

He was looked at her expectantly, not waiting for her to give a good answer, but waiting for her to ask him for a good answer. He was looking for control over her and she had to think fast to make sure he didn't get it.

_Come on, a place where you know a cat can survive leaf-bare. No, not just a single cat, but a group of cats. Not in the valley though, too close to the StarReaders when they know we exist. But not on a mountainside either. Should I ask Crow where the valley is that Python is from? That's probably where he spent leaf-bare if not on this mountainside. Maybe I really should leave the mountains and spend just a leaf-bare at that forest at the base of the mountains, but I fought so hard to stay here!_

Gnashing her teeth together she faced Ash angrily, there was only one place that she could think of that they could go. It was a gamble, a very risky one, considering she'd never been there. But there was nowhere else that they could go.

"I've made my decision," Jay announced, sitting up and closing her eyes. _Oh ancestors, if you have a heart, please let me not go wrong!_ "We will be moving to the StarReader's old territory."

Ash's eyes widened and Jay could hear Thunderstorm hiss, _at least I know that's not where Ash was planning to take us._ But Ash recovered from his surprise quickly and turned to dissuading her, "Are you sure? The StarReaders still go there for ceremonies. And it's their old territory! What if they left a few cats there? We could all be killed."

"But I thought you said it isn't possible to get in and out of the mountains in leaf-bare. And we can handle a few cats if it comes to that," Jay mewed, unsheathing her claws and giving Ash her darkest smile. "That's my decision, and if you don't want to continue visiting your kits, I can always kill you now," Jay mewed, stalking closer to him, fangs bared and claws scratching against the stone.

The place that Ash had used to intimidate Jay now worked against him, as she blocked his only way off the rock. Alarm flickered in his gray eyes but it fizzled back into smoke as he dipped his head, "I respect your decision, Jay. And to show you that under your guidance I have become fully committed to becoming a father for my kits, I ask that you allow me to spend the rest of the cold season with your party," the orange tom dipped his head low in respect.

Jay wasn't surprised at this, she'd supposed he might be spending leaf-bare more closely since it was harder to travel in snow. But she also knew that he didn't have half the concern for his kits as he claimed, in fact, that was the first time he'd ever called them 'my kits.'

But there was an old lesson drilled deep inside Jay's head, keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Her mentor had sworn by that saying and had practiced it by always keeping close to any cats that may have threatened her position as deputy. Of course, that had included the leader's impressive daughter.

But it had done it's job and left an impression on young Jaypaw and now Jay had the opportunity to do what she liked best. Keep her sworn enemy under close surveillance. The decision wasn't even difficult to reach, "Ash, I think we'd all be honored to have you," she purred.

And stepping back off the rock, gently wrapped her tail around Thunderstorm's neck and led him back up the trail, Ash trotting at her side as they swapped cheerful conversation. Each eagerly awaiting the time when they could pounce on the others throat.

Poor Thunderstorm, it all went right over his head. The only thing he understood was that this was something he should not get involved in.


	36. Star Valley

"We're moving where?!" Jay had supposed that her announcement would be met with a variety of emotion since none of the cats in the camp were remotely similar, but they all greeted the decision with shock, horror, and a pensive judgment that Jay felt was uncalled for.

Thunderstorm looked grumpier than usual, Silver looked ready to scream or cry, and Amelia was glaring at her. "Yes, it should be a livable place since the StarReaders lived there for season upon season," Jay answered, wondering why they couldn't see it was the perfect solution.

"But it's the enemies territory! I thought you wanted us to survive!" Silver mewed, her voice shrill with disbelief.

"The enemy only uses it very rarely and when the snow falls passage between the mountain and the valley won't be possible," Jay explained. "That's what Ash told me," she added, nodding at the orange tom who was lounging on one of the rocks, languidly watching the kits as he groomed his fur.

"Why can't we stay here?" Amelia groaned. Jay had to admit that it was Amelia's displeasure that surprised her the most, usually, the black she-cat was fine with whatever she decided to do. But now her amber eyes glared at the ground in irritation and she wouldn't meet Jay's gaze.

"I don't think this mountain's forest will be able to support us all through leaf-bare and the snow might trap us here to starve. I can't take that risk with so many kits that can't fend for themselves," Jay mewed, a firm pressure in her voice.

Thunderstorm looked like he was resigning himself to this fate and Silver had a hint of understanding in her eyes. Ash had already agreed and she'd tell Crow and the kits later. Perhaps the black tom would rethink staying on the mountain alone, she wasn't comfortable with leaving the elderly tom for the harshest season alone. And the kits would miss him for sure.

"When are we leaving?" Thunderstorm's impatient question startled her. He rarely spoke to her and she looked up to see him staring in her direction with his blank and dimly scarred eyes, a deep frown on his face.

Jay thought for a few moments, she hadn't quite decided on that but she supposed the sooner the better. "Five days from now," she mewed. There was, of course, numerous details to attend to before they could leave. The first would be to find the place itself and the safest route, pack up her herbs, and find traveling herbs to help sustain them on the trek.

The tall gray tom nodded shortly and turned away from her. Silver glanced at him before looking at her again, "Jay, are you sure this is a really good idea? I mean, traveling through enemy territory into unknown enemy territory with six kits and a blind cat?! I don't have a good feeling about it," the pale tabby warned.

Jay waved her tail, "Most cats dislike change. It'll all be fine" she mewed, brushing off Silver's concerns. But in reality, she felt those concerns strongly. She knew this was risky, that it would be difficult because she had more cats than not that were dependent on others.

Eagle was probably capable of keeping it up if they took frequent enough breaks. Thunderstorm could be led easily enough and her own kits were old enough to walk most of the way on their own. Midnight's kits would be a bit more difficult, but they could walk at times and then there were enough to carry them. Jay figured they could make it, though she didn't know how she'd take her herbs with her if she were carrying kits all the time.

 _I would like to just regather herbs, but I won't be able to since it is so late in the season, and I need these herbs in case something happens!_ With an annoyed flick of the tail she figured she could return with Amelia after they'd made a home in the new place and fetch her herbs then.

"But what if they catch us?" Silver's anxious voice brought her back to the present.

"What do you mean?" Jay asked, having lost track of the conversation while being immersed in her thoughts.

"It's StarReader territory! And what's more, it's _that_ part of the territory. You really want to live in a place that has seen the merciless death of countless cats?" Silver's voice dropped to a hoarse whisper.

 _Ahh... I had forgotten about that._ The north-east mountain was where, they'd conjectured, the StarReaders killed their 'gifts.' It might be a little scary for the kits if they were to move into a camp full of cat carcasses, and she certainly didn't want any of her cats to add to the number. "Don't worry, Amelia and I will scout it out tomorrow. But to do that I need a favor," she mewed cheerfully, laying her tail over Silver's shoulders and leading her more toward the edge of the clearing.

"What is it?" Silver was leaning away, blue eyes studying her face wearily.

"Don't give me that look. Come on and be a pal, I just need you to watch the kits for-"

"No, no, no, no, never again!" Silver broke away from her hold, shaking her head and muttering under her breath. "You remember what happened the last time I watched them!" the pale tabby mewed, staring beseechingly.

Jay's whiskers twitched in amusement. Silver was referring to when Jay had coerced her to watch the kits for an afternoon so that she could have a little break from her full-time job. Jay had a great time, catching a meal for herself and dozing in a sunny spot on a patch of soft moss far away from the noise and hassle of the kits.

However, she'd returned at twilight to find the kits had overrun Silver. They'd subjected the tabby to be the center of their games, whether it was an enemy to be defeated or a mountain to be climbed. Silver had been scratched, jumped on, and run ragged by the pack of the kits.

Jay had, of course, been amused to see the depressed Silver with tears of frustration turn to her and wildly shout at her for raising a pack of savages. She'd talked to the kits, telling them to thank Silver for playing so nicely with them and apologize for being too wild. Silver had accepted the apology, but not any further propositions to watch the kits.

"It will be only one day, and you'll have Crow and Thunderstorm and Ash to help you!" Jay purred, trying to convince her. "I need you to do this for me," she added more firmly as the tabby shrunk away.

"Why can't you just have Amelia go alone?" she whined.

"Amelia doesn't have an eye for these things. Her coming along is to find a route, not to find a den," Jay mewed firmly. Also, she doubted the black she-cat would even go up that mountain on her own.

"Ask Ash instead, some of them are his kits," Silver mewed.

"He can help, but he has about as much parental sense as a cuckoo," Jay mewed, "You are perfectly capable of doing this," she added, starting to get impatient with the excuses.

Silver seemed to notice the change in her tone and gave her a quick glance, "Fine, I'll do it. But what's in it for me?"

"Excuse me?" Jay asked, blinking twice as if it were a joke.

"What do I get out of it? Whenever you do favors for me you ask for things in return and when Amelia does it, she gets something back too. So what do I get?" the tabby stomped her front paw expectantly.

"I'm your leader," Jay snapped, "You get to live under my protection."

"Not enough, I could protect myself just as well without you. This only really benefits Thunderstorm and the kits. You have to do something for me in return," the tabby mewed.

With an annoyed growl Jay gave in, "What do you want?" she snapped, it had better be something easy, like a day off of hunting or the likes...

Silver seemed surprised that she'd actually agreed, but her eyes quickly turned serious. "I want you to help me rescue Python's cats. They were so welcoming to me when I had nowhere else to go, they're my friends. I want to save Leaf and Spark who recruited me, and Glade who mentored me. I know this is a lot to ask as a favor, but I don't want the StarReaders to kill another cat," Silver pale blue eyes, usually so weak and dim, now blazed with passion. This was something she felt strongly about and from the hard set of her jaw, something she'd given a lot of thought to.

 _So this is how she deals with pain, by finding a new goal to aim for._ Jay could almost say she was proud, and since she'd already been planning on rescuing the captive cats, this 'favor' was not much of a favor. However, Jay could see Ash's shadow against a rock, hiding where he thought he was out of sight.

Since she'd told Ash that she wasn't going to get involved in the valley's affair in return for his help rescuing the kits, having him find out she'd been lying wasn't going to help the present situation. So instead of agreeing to the request Jay shook her head, "I can't do that. It isn't possible for two cats to defeat the StarReaders and the last things these kits need are their caretakers to get themselves killed for no reason."

As she said this Silver's glow dimmed and she looked disappointed, but not surprised. But as she turned away, Jay leaned in close and whispered in her ear, "We'll talk about it later alone, don't let Ash on to anything though."

Silver gave her a stunned look, but understanding glimmered as she gave a quick nod and leaped away, "But I'll only watch the kits for one day!" she called. Jay's whiskers twitched, it felt like Silver didn't hate her so much anymore, and that of course made her being a part of the camp less displeasing.

Turning away with that matter settled, she called to all her kits. "Who wants to go visit Crow?" she asked. Every kit from Eagle to Panther cheered, after all, he was their one and only storyteller. Jay was counting on his affection for the kits to convince him to come with them. _After all, I can't lose such a cat that's so useful in entertaining the kits._

* * *

"Remember when I said I would never step paw on this mountain again?"

"Mmhm."

"Well, I really meant it!" Amelia's angry voice was hushed but it still rang out in the early dawn air like a shrill bird's cry in the stillness. After leaving camp early that morning, Jay and Amelia had left the mountain and found in the low light a trail just outside the StarReader's territory that led to the north-east mountain.

It was a bit difficult because it was on the mountainside, but it was so close to the base that it wasn't dangerous until you got to the part where a ravine ran alongside the mountain base. Jay felt like they'd have to be very careful with the kits when going through that section.

Now they stood half-way up the north-east mountain, Jay stood on a boulder that jutted out over the hillside, looking down at Amelia who had finally lost her nerve after being mutinously silent the whole venture. "I remember, I just don't care," she snapped. "Now get up this mountain, you're being a fraidy-cat."

Amelia planted her paws and lowered her head to balk. "And now you're just being immature," Jay sighed, leaping back down the trail to push Amelia forward with her head against her rear. "Come on," she huffed, "You have to come with me."

The black she-cat shook her head, "You can do it yourself, I'm going to go back." The she-cat started pushing Jay back down the trail.

"And what happens when we move to this mountain?" Jay asked through gritted teeth, pushing her paws into the ground to halt Amelia's retreat.

"I'll live in the valley, you can visit me when you need something," her voice was so firm and final Jay couldn't believe she was just thinking it up on the spot. That didn't mean she was going to let her greatest asset go without a fight.

"But what if the StarReaders find you? Or find us meeting and follow one or both of us back and find both our dens. Besides, if it is as Ash says, we will be blocked off from each other all leaf-bare," Jay reasoned, "It's better to stay together, especially when we don't know what we're facing."

"I can take care of myself," Amelia snorted, "And I don't care what happens to you, I've been thinking about leaving for a while now. But I can't live on this mountain," Amelia sharply indicated the mass of rock that rose steeply before their paws.

"Why not?!" Jay hissed, "I went through losing my memory too. It's unsettling, but with the StarReaders gone it shouldn't happen again!"

Amelia shook her head so vigorously that her ears flopped like a kit, "It isn't just losing my memory. It's something else and it's still happening," Jay could see her paws trembling and being so close, could hear her breaths that came too fast for the amount of energy she was exerting.

Jay's ears twitched, but she couldn't tell that anything was out of the ordinary. They weren't being followed, for once, the bird song was a bit shriller in the thinner air, and the wind made a strange whistling sound, but that was because they were on the side of a mountain. It was no different than climbing up the mountain they lived on now.

"You can't understand," Amelia growled and pushed back with more gusto, causing Jay to fall back on the uneven ground and onto her back with her paws in the air.

As she black she-cat rushed past her Jay lunged at her legs and caused her to fall, quickly placing herself on Amelia's back and pinning her against the slope. Amelia struggled, but couldn't catch a grip on the trail. "You can't go back until you tell me why you won't go up this mountain with me," Jay growled stubbornly, pushing roughly on Amelia's shoulder blades, it wasn't going to injure her, but it would make moving painful.

The black she-cat winced, "You wouldn't believe me," she muttered.

"Try me," Jay challenged.

"Alright," Amelia turned her head slightly so that she could look up at Jay with one amber eye. "My hearing is cut off on this mountain."

Jay didn't understand, "But you can here me when I'm talking to you, right?"

Amelia sighed, "Not like that, I can still hear you and whats around me and all that. Basically, it's like I have hearing only as good as yours or any other cat."

Jay's tail flicked, "And is that odd? I know you have good senses, but how much better could it really be?" she mewed, feeling insulted by the condescending tone Amelia was using.

"I said you wouldn't believe me," the black cat muttered, turning her face back toward the dirt.

"I didn't say I didn't believe you, I'm saying I don't understand. So explain it to me, just how far can you usually hear?" Jay pressed, keeping her voice neutral. If she started sounding mocking or like she was just playing along, she would probably end up being rolled down the mountain by an angry she-cat.

Amelia paused for a moment and tilted her head, "It varies, sometimes I pick up on things really far away, sometimes closer. Usually I can hear something if it's unusual or I'm searching for it, or really loud," the black she-cat mewed.

"But you can't hear anything up ahead?" Jay asked, she didn't really understand since 'normal' hearing was what she had, but she supposed it must be like if she could only hear Amelia, the wind, and the birds, and not the rustling and shifting of plants up ahead and down below her, like something was missing.

Amelia nodded her head in slight agreement, "I don't like not knowing what to expect," the she-cat hissed.

Jay had to admit that this would explain why Amelia always seemed to know where every cat was and how she was such a good hunter and had knowledge she shouldn't have, but if what Amelia claimed was true, why couldn't she have found her kits more easily?

"Then when were searching for my kits, why couldn't you find them? And what about Midnight, did you just not tell any cat that she was being ambushed?" Jay challenged.

"It was like this, I couldn't hear around me. It was that white cat, no doubt," Amelia growled, more to herself than Jay. "I hate that cat, and anything that has to do with her," her amber eye glared at the sky with such burning Jay could almost feel its heat.

"But if the cat isn't here, then why is it blocking your hearing?" Jay mused, _assuming Amelia's telling the truth, of course, and that cat isn't here_ , she wasn't quite convinced that something like this was possible. _I mean, Amelia somehow has super hearing? Why? How? There was a story in ThunderClan about three cats who had powers like that, but why would Amelia have it? It's not like StarClan has any reason to bless her, considering she's the daughter of a cat who nearly destroyed half the Clans._

"This mountain stinks, I won't go up it," Amelia snarled.

Jay pressed down more firmly, "Then maybe we should clean it out, running from your problems won't help anything, it'll only become something to be used against you."

After a time of haggling and begging, Jay finally got Amelia to follow her once more up the mountain with the promise that she wouldn't have to come back if she really couldn't handle it. The black she-cat plodded behind her with her ears laid flat against her head as if she were in pain but her face had a look as if she had tasted something especially disgusting.

They paused when the reached the ravine with the crescent arch. Even in the sunlight the space past it was dead in the dark. This was around the place where they'd lost their memories and even Jay had to admit she was nervous, carefully tasting the air and straining her ears forward as far as they would go. The sudden disappearance of light would unnerve any cat.

"I don't understand why it's so dark past the arch, I mean, really..." Jay mused, standing at the edge of the darkness and peering upward, trying to see something, anything. _Wait a moment..._ Jay ran away from the dark to the other side of the ravine and stood on her hind paws, trying to see over the arch.

 _Ah-ha!_ Although the arch looked like it was floating in the air, a singular piece of rock that connected the mountain peaks on either side of them, it wasn't. There was a roof behind it that couldn't be seen from below it that caused the piercing dark and cool air.

"It's a cave," Jay told Amelia who was watching her in confusion. Amelia looked confusedly at the arch for a moment before understanding alighted in her eyes. They both relaxed as they approached the large cave, now that they knew the cause for the dark it was somehow less disturbing.

Their paw steps didn't echo on the dirt ground and the walls of the cave were so far away that it really didn't feel like one at all, she assumed this is why they had never noticed it before now. And also, the last time she'd come here had been at night and Amelia had probably been too busy worrying about her problem to notice.

"Does this cave have an end?" Amelia muttered after they'd walked in the dark for quite a while.

"Probably, I feel a breeze, don't you?" Jay asked. As she said that, her eyes-which had adjusted to the dark- picked up on a yellow light up ahead. Sunlight, no doubt.

"There it is," Amelia muttered, Jay could feel her tenseness, she imagined she wanted to get in and out of here as fast as she could. As they reached the opening they both stopped and stared, dumbfounded at what they could see. The sun, the silver, the glimmering, it dazzled them enough to leave them speechless for no less than five minutes.

Jay looked at Amelia, her eyes dilated black even in the bright light. "I think this is it."

* * *

"Hey, stop pushing!"

"Stop pushing, yourself!"

"Why is it so dark?"

"Mommy? Mommy? Mommy!"

Jay wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry as she herded the kits through the pith-black tunnel. The two-day journey here had been agonizing and beyond difficult. Ash had disappeared the morning they set out and Amelia had used that as an excuse to leave the party as well.

So Jay and Silver had brought seven kits, a blind cat, and an elder, all the way down one mountain and up another. And now they were almost there, ready to fall dead on their paws. The sun had set not long ago and now they were stumbling through the dark, moving toward the faint gleam of gray twilight up ahead that marked the end of the crescent archway cave.

"Are you sure there's a home all the way up here?" Silver's voice came from Jay's left and she could hear Crow's laboring breathing behind her. If there wasn't a place here, she didn't think any of them had the energy to leave the area until tomorrow anyway.

The kits' complaining mews reminded her of this and she almost stepped on Panther who had collapsed on the ground. "I can't go a step further," the kit sounded on the brink of tears.

Jay bent her nose down and have her a comforting lick, "You did very well today, walking so far on your own paws. And don't worry, we won't leave you behind," she grabbed Panther gently by the scruff and lifted the small kit, who was lighter than a mouse.

Jay quickly brought the cats to the end of the tunnel and they stood out, staring over this new land. A narrow trail wound down the mountainside into a great valley of gray stone with rippling silver tones. "Ponds!" Breeze's breathless whisper was the only thing that broke the quiet.

In the twilight gray, dozens and dozens of pools gleamed and rippled like the pelt of a silky gray cat. The light breeze gently caressed the water's surface and brought it to life, lapping and murmuring upon the stone. It was like a giant cave full of twisting paths and creeping water with the wide open sky as a roof.

Jay remembered the first time she'd seen it with Amelia, she had known in her heart that this was it, almost as if she'd come home from a long journey, comfort washed over her heart. The others seemed to be as starstruck as she had been, but they hadn't even seen the best part. "Come on," Jay purred, sweeping the kits away from the edge of the trail and pressing them against the mountain side, "You haven't even seen the best part yet."


	37. Cold Fates

The dark water lapped softly at the gray stone, washing over it and leaving it glimmering silver in the moonlight. The stars were numerous in the sky overhead and the pools below trapped the light within its dark ripples.

Eleven pairs of paws swept softly past the water, seven kits and four grown cats. Jay led the way with the kits surrounding her, barely managing not to step on one of them or accidentally kick them into the water. Silver led Thunderstorm by the tail, both of the gray cats looked exhausted and Crow stumbled steadily behind them, eyes stuck on the ground as he pulled his tired, old body forward.

But Jay stepped lightly upon the stone and the kits shared her excitement, gasping softly and giggling at the lights reflected in the black pools and tentatively darting out a paw to touch a damp part of the path that shone like moonlit ice.

They were nearly across the valley by now, and the moon's upward climb was nearing it's end as well, now nearly centered above them. But they couldn't stop here, they had to keep going. When she and Amelia had scouted the valley before they had found it mostly unlivable.

The water and stone were beautiful, but a cat couldn't live on water alone and even if there had been fish in the pools and they knew how to catch fish, when leaf-bare came they'd freeze over and the cats would be left to starve. And sleeping in the open on rocks was going to be life-threatening when the fierce cold came.

But it had made no sense, the StarReaders had lived here for seasons upon seasons, how had they survived? And then they'd found it. Jay's tail quivered in anticipation and her pace quickened. "Almost there," she whispered encouragingly to the kits whose tiredness was starting to trump their excitement.

Jay had to pick up Panther again shortly and then Silver had to carry Hail while a few minutes after that both Crow and Thunderstorm were carrying Rusty and Breeze. Jay watched Ice worriedly, she was the next smallest kit and was starting to trip over her own paws. _Just a little bit further..._

The cool breeze was softer and gentler down in the stone valley than on a mountainside and the cold was less pungent, Jay had high hopes that this place would work well for them. All that was left was to leave the beautiful and unfriendly stone behind them.

"There is it," Jay purred. As she said that a more musky smell mixed with the sharpness of stone and water.

"Trees?" Silver's short question was muffled by the kit in her mouth and Jay nodded, leading the cats to the end of the valley. The flat rock was interrupted by a few piles of rocks that created natural dens and were covered in moss.

From the faint, stale cat scent coming from them, Jay and Amelia had assumed these were the old StarReaders dens. However, this wasn't where they were going to live. Past the dens was the edge of the valley where a short and difficult incline brought them once more out of the valley into a wide ravine, covered in a forest.

"Look at all the trees!" Flint's excited mew brought energy to the sleepy kits and they struggled from the grown cats' grasp to squeak and cheer as they ran around beneath the full trees. The trees were almost exclusively pine and the soft needle bed below offered a warm and quiet ambiance as it stifled the sound of footsteps.

Jay was not exactly thrilled to live among pine trees, for in the ravine it blocked out all of the sky, and the needles were uncomfortably poky under paw. But the ravine was almost completely sheltered from the wind, only the faintest breeze flowing high above and stirring the tree tops. It was noticeably warmer and the scent of prey was heavy here.

"I have to admit, I didn't think a place like this existed here. How far does the forest stretch?" Silver asked, looking in awe up at the pine trees, the dark shadows nearly hiding her silhouette from view.

"I don't know, Amelia and I traveled inwards for awhile, but we didn't reach the end. There also wasn't much sign that the StarReaders came here for anything but food, so even if they go back to their own camp, they may not even notice us," Jay mewed. Of course, it was optimistic to think they wouldn't notice their scents, but Silver's tired mind didn't seem to catch it.

"That's good, but is there any shelter here besides the trees? I mean, it is pretty sheltered with just that, but will that be enough?" the tabby moved around, still leading Thunderstorm as she circled around. The kits were playing with the needles, kicking them up and pawing them into piles, but Jay could see they were still tired.

"We found a place a bit further in for a makeshift camp, come on," she called to the kits and they obediently trotted to her side as she led the group deeper into the forest.

"Was that a mouse?" Ice's intrigued voice broke the silence.

"No way, that was definitely a bird," Eagle's positive tone didn't merit agreement.

"It was too low for a bird," Ice mewed crossly.

"But the sound went upward!" Eagle shot back.

"What do you know?"

"I'm a hunter!"

" _I've_ never seen you hunt anything besides a moss ball!" Ice's definitive retort prompted Eagle to tackle the smaller kit and playfully pin her to the ground.

"There!" he mewed triumphantly, "I hunted _you_."

"Alright, that's enough, keep up with the group," Jay chided, the kits had fallen a bit behind in their scuffle and the two kits looked up in alarm to see they were being left behind. Ice spat as Eagle let her up and Jay heard the sound of pine needles being thrown through the air followed by Eagle sneezing violently as Ice dashed close to her side.

Eagle rejoined more sedately, his eyes glaring at the kit who he'd beaten fair and square but still had managed to have the last laugh. "Kits, let's keep it together a bit longer," Jay sighed, though she was more amused than anything.

At last they came to the spot, a rare oak tree standing bare among the towering pines. A single mossy boulder towered high under a nearby pine tree, about three cat-lengths in the air, and a bunch of heather and brambles dotted the area. They'd be able to make a comfortable den against the rock and the oak tree would allow them to get a little bit of sunlight while still enjoying the shelter of the pines as they slept.

"Tonight we'll sleep here," Jay mewed, leading the cats into the slight shelter of the heather bush. Everyone was too tired to complain that there was no real den already made and since it was just as warm or warmer than sleeping in a den in their old camp, every cat curled down close to each other for warmth and quickly slipped into sleep.

But not Jay, although weariness dragged at her eyes and muscles, she sat above every cat, being a careful watcher in the darkness and a careful listener to the silence. What she hadn't told the others was that in the valley of stone and water, the stars danced restlessly.

* * *

The next few days were busy with the construction of a large and warm den as well as the exploration of the territory. The pine filled ravine was about as narrow as the forest on the side of the mountainside that they'd previously called home. The greatest difference being that the ravine was much longer, in fact, after a whole day's trek Jay never came to an end of it.

This wooded area enjoyed the shelter between the mountains and although occasionally when the angle was right for the wind to blow fiercely, usually there wasn't even a breeze. It was full of prey and although the new territory required an adjustment of hunting technique, they still managed to feed everyone more easily than on the mountainside.

The kits were excited about the new area to explore and didn't seem to be bothered by the thick covering of pine branches that blocked out the sky. However, Silver and Crow both were bothered by it and they would sit beneath the oak tree and peer up at the tiny spot of sky visible beneath it.

Amelia returned alone on the sixth day, looking unhappy and in pain. When Jay asked her where Ash was she just shook her head and curled up to sleep underneath a pine tree for the night. She was gone by morning.

But Jay wasn't worried, she had come back once, she'd come back again. She was sure Amelia was staying somewhere close by the mountain so that when she needed her, the black she-cat would be there.

The only thing she missed was the security of Amelia's super sharp senses at night, she'd always slept soundly, knowing Amelia would warn her if something dangerous was approaching. But without the black she-cat, she found herself keeping watch alone at night a lot more than she liked.

But on the eighth day the den was complete and they all slept soundly in its protection. And the next day brought another surprise; Ash had come to visit. "Took you long enough to find us," Jay commented as the grown cats ate breakfast together, feasting on last night's leftovers. "I recall you asking to spend leaf-bare with us."

Ash inclined his head, "It hasn't snowed yet," he pointed out. "And why did you send Amelia after me? It was quite bothersome, shaking her off."

"I'm rather impressed you managed to do it at all," she snorted, closing her eyes and taking an irritated bite of her food.

"You underestimate me," he mewed lightly. Jay purred back at him, eyes closed to keep herself from glaring. How she wished she could kill him right now. But he'd actually brought food for his kits today and had spoken to them. If he continued making progress she would continue to tolerate his existence.

"Anyways, Ash, since you're here I'm going to make you useful," Jay mewed, finishing her meal and licking her tongue around her muzzle.

"I thought I was supposed to be a father?" Ash mewed, looking unhappy at the prospect of aiding her.

"Yes, you are. And who do you suppose is taking care of them? Certainly not you. So by helping me, you're helping your kits," Jay mewed.

"Your logic seems flawed," he responded with a disgruntled glance at her, but he dared not refuse her in front of the others who were watching their exchange curiously. Except for Thunderstorm, who had the sense to be shrinking away from the group.

"It isn't a difficult task, I only need your help to bring my herbs from the old camp here. Since the den is finished, I now have a place to store them," Jay explained. Although she was no more excited about the idea of trekking all the way to the eastern mountain and all the way back, seeing Ash's face fall was worth it.

He muttered something but gave a slight nod of agreement. Now Jay turned to Silver, "I think you know what I have to ask you," she mewed pointedly.

Silver's confusion melted to horror, "You can't make me watch them _again_!" When Jay had left the kits with Silver for the day when she'd scouted out this territory with Amelia, she'd come home to find Silver even more miserable than the time before. But Amelia wasn't here and Crow was too old to keep up with them all day, while no cat with a whisker worth of sense would put them in a blind cat's care.

"Come on, unless you want to go get my herbs for me? Or would you rather let some cat die when they get sick? Or a scratch that gets infected? Silver... I had no idea you cared so little for all of us," she spoke mockingly and the tabby seemed to be simmering in her anger.

"Fine! I'll watch the kits, just go already!" the tabby leaped to her paws and started shoving her away forcefully.

Jay chuckled but allowed herself to be driven away. Calling to the kits to obey Silver and asking Crow to help with keeping them out of trouble, she left with Ash following and sulking. It didn't take long to leave the pine forest and Jay happily breathed in the fresher air of the stone valley, looking out across the cold gray plain.

"It doesn't seem the StarReaders have come today either," Jay mewed, drawing in the scents as they passed through the abandoned camp.

"They don't come here often, as I'm sure you know," Ash muttered, his orange pelt was almost unnatural on the backdrop of gray and he seemed to feel as out of place as he looked. Jay, however, felt like she fit right in, her fur and attitude matched the area completely.

"It must be lovely in green-leaf," she sighed, "With a pool to splash in when you get too hot and lots of stone to bask in the warmth." She could almost close her eyes and imagine it. But unfortunately, her idea was to drive the StarReaders back here and she highly doubted she'd ever be looked upon kindly after that. This place would be lost to her, but the green valley would be won.

"I can't believe you'd ever say that about their home," Ash scowled at her, his gray eyes were disgusted and Jay thought he had never looked more disgruntled.

"And I'm surprised that you wouldn't be more at ease, considering you helped them," she shot back, narrowing her eyes.

Ash shrugged, "Sometimes you have to pick between your evils."

Jay shook her head, "And I think you chose the worst evil. At least the Ivy cats didn't have a habit of killing the innocent, even if it occurred at times."

"But the StarReaders change, they evolve. The Ivy cats have been stuck in the same cycle for countless seasons, there is no future for them," Ash mewed, defending the StarReaders with glowing eyes. Jay shrank away from him, disturbed by the passion in his eyes, as if he really believed that made the StarReaders the right choice.

"Let's just go get my herbs," Jay muttered, and with that she turned away and broke into a run, paws pounding against the stone as the sound of water sloshing echoed in her ears.

* * *

The trip to the eastern mountain took all of the morning and the two of them passed it in silence. The valley was quickly withering, the forest in the distance was bare of all leaves, reduced to a bunch of skeletal gray-brown arms poking up at the sky like a tangled bunch of briar.

The grass was brown and yellow and much shorter than in green-leaf, it was almost like peat. The heather and gorse were gray and brown while the streams were either dried up or chugged along slowly. The mountains themselves seemed bent and old over the valley, their proud beauty not so glorious or protective in the midst of all the dull and death.

Jay reveled in it. It was so much more airy than the pine forest, the stillness was disturbed only by the rushing wind that brought a thick blanket of gray clouds to shut out the sky, however, this cloud ceiling was far more bearable than the crowded canopy of pine branches.

"It got pretty cold," Jay mused as they paused at the top of a hill, she stood with her face to the wind as it blew her whiskers back in her face and tugged at her fur, breathing in the cold and wild scents that flowed to her.

"It's coming from the north instead of the west, of course it's cold," Ash muttered, fluffing up his fur but still shivering.

Jay shrugged, it was cold, but not that cold, "Maybe we'll get a little snow, though, I feel like this is a very dry breeze," she mewed, sniffing the air.

"Can we just get moving, I'm freezing my tail off," the orange tom complained, eyes narrowed against the gale.

"Of course, it's right there, we'll be back before dusk at this rate," Jay mewed, launching into a run and bounding down the hill, traversing through the area by forging her own trail and taking only a moment at the bottom of the mountainside to catch her breath before launching up the gravelly stone path.

The wind blew away all of Ash's complaints as the two cats launched themselves with surprising velocity up the winding path. They soon came to the tunnel at about half way up the mountainside and into the dark hole they slipped, crawling through the short, narrow space until they squeezed out onto the familiar trail.

The pale sand, the crowding- but dead- undergrowth, and the churlish babble of water conveyed a feeling of familiarity onto Jay as she slipped down the path that had become much more well-trodden after she'd come to live here.

And yet, already the path was being smoothed out by the elements and the camp had a definite abandoned feeling to it. The nests were gathering dust and falling apart while the warm cat scent had faded, replaced by the scents of prey and even birds of prey.

"I kept the herbs over there," she mewed, indicating the den that was the furthermost to the left. Ash grumbled something about not asking anything, but followed her and waited outside of the small den. Ducking down, Jay came to her store of sun-dried herbs and berries.

Before leaving she'd packed them all into packets so they would be ready to be picked up by any cat if she couldn't go. And now she combined them, wrapping them in moss and cobwebs to form two large bags by which she and Ash could carry them all in one trip.

The only herb she decided to leave behind was her horsetail stems. They were only found in the valley so she only had a few and they were withered and weak from being gathered at the beginning of green-leaf. She had marigold to treat wounds and dock for sore pads, it was fine to leave them behind.

"A'wight," Jay's mew was muffled as she carried her package and backed out off the den, dragging the other bag by her paw until she could push it to Ash. "Dat's'll," she mewed as Ash peered past her.

"A pretty big pack, are you sure you're not hiding anything in them?" he mewed suspiciously, pawing at the large bundle.

Jay rolled her eyes, clearly he'd never paid attention to any of the herb stores of the female Ivy Cats, in comparison, she had only a measly stock. _In the Clans too, the Medicine cat has far more than this. Of course, they also have more cats to take care of, but I can only use some of the more common ones safely anyways._

Jay ignored Ash's suspicious stare and trotted out of camp, keeping a careful eye on the gray sky, it seemed to be growing darker and she wasn't sure if it was because more time had passed than she'd thought or if the clouds were thickening.

In any case, when they emerged on the other side of the mountainside, a fierce wind had kicked up and even Jay shivered against the biting chill. She was annoyed to see that it had changed direction, coming more from the east then the north. And that meant that it would be windy in their ravine.

Jay muttered something inaudible about getting out of the wind and narrowed her eyes, laying her ears flat against her head and keeping her tail stuck out behind her as she half-sprinted, half-fell down the mountainside. At the bottom she had to wait for Ash who had taken a much more careful descent and her tail twitched impatiently while she licked at her right forepaw which she had twisted in her ungraceful, but speedy, descent.

When Ash had finally arrived Jay had been chilled by sitting still in the roaring wind that lashed her tail against her side and tugged at her fur until she felt her pelt would fly off. Motioning for Ash to follow her, she turned her face to the wind and braced her shoulders as she walked quickly along the path, too worried about losing her grip on the package to risk running.

"I shouldn't have come last night," Ash's mutter reached her ears despite the overwhelming noise of the wind.

"Quit complaining!" Jay growled, whipping her head around to glare at him. But the force with which she'd twisted her head and the gale of the wind joined forces to successfully tear the package of herbs from her grasp and send the mass of leaves spinning through the air.

"Ahh!" Jay shrieked as she watched her carefully gathered and preserved herbs were lifted into the air and whisked away. "Get them!" her packet had contained the most useful herbs, since she didn't fully trust Ash, and they were disappearing right in front of her!

Grabbing the bundle of moss she pounced on it to stop anymore leaves from escaping and quickly grabbed a stone to hold it down while she started running after the herbs that were twirling through the air and scuttling over the ground.

Pouncing on the leaves she could find, Jay managed to recover a firm bunch of her marigold, borage, feverfew, watermint, and dock leaves, but her tansy was no where to be found. Looking around, she found that she had run quite a ways into the valley hills, the fierce wind rippling the short grass in waves.

The sky was even darker than before and she could see neither any more runaway herbs nor Ash. Ahh! Excitement thumped through her chest as she saw a few thin stalks of tansy go flying by, floating above the ground on the stiff wind. She needed those herbs! They were the best cure she had for white-cough, green-cough, or kitten-cough.

Chasing after the strands she leaped into the air, swiping at them and managing to snag one in her claws, adding it to the leaves in her mouth before resuming the exhausting chase. She'd grabbed three more strands and could only see two more flying around the hills. _If I get those two, then it'll be okay,_ she was almost relieved as she reached the top of a hill and leaped at another strand.

Except, she didn't reach the herb but was knocked back down by something dark and fury and fell onto her side, starting to roll down the hill before she caught herself. Angrily she looked up, the wind had blown the herbs and her relief out of sight.

"Hey, you! Watch where you're jumping or I'll kill you!" the angry voice was like blowing a hot wind on a fire, Jay's anger was mounting at a startling pace.

She glared up at who she assumed she'd leaped into, though given the area and scent, it wasn't much of a surprise. It was that annoying tortoiseshell she-cat, her green eyes were as unpleasant as Jay remembered, glaring down at her with her hackles raised and lips curled back in a snarl.

Jay's vision blurred from rage as she slowly picked herself up from the ground, adjusting her grip on her herbs before staring the rogue straight in the face. She could kill a cat just as easily without her jaws. "Well? Apologize before I skin you, flea-pelt!" the rogue she-cat glared down at her, green eyes flaring with her ill temper.

Jay could almost smile, this cat was so troublesome, no one would miss her, it would be a pleasure to end her. "Wait, Jay, wait!" an annoying voice rose over the wind and both she-cats looked away toward the sound. But Jay was counting on the other cat to be distracted and used that moment to leap on the she-cat and pin her to the ground before Ash reached them.

"What are you doing?" Jay muttered around her herbs, glaring at him. Where was his herb pack?

Ash was panting and looked a little dazed from his run, it just made Jay more irritated. "Get off of her," he ordered.

"She was being really rude," Jay growled angrily, pushing down on the tortoiseshell's throat as the tortoiseshell glared furiously at her.

Ash sighed, "I'm sure she was, but she's a friend, so let her up."

 _A friend?! I didn't know Ash was even capable of making friends. No... by friend he probably means he uses her_. But Jay got off anyways, giving the she-cat a firm stare as she got back to her paws without a shred of embarrassment.

"Jay, this is Raizel," Ash introduced her cordially. Jay glanced between the two of them, neither looked specifically pleased at seeing each other, but there wasn't any animosity in the air anymore either. "She's an assistant of sorts," Ash explained as he watched her suspicious gaze flicker between the two of them.

"A spy?" Jay accused.

Ash's tail twitched and he purred, "Please, I do all the spying myself. I don't trust others enough, Raizel helps with something else, and I, in turn, help her. Now, we really should be going, don't you think?" he mewed, leading her away.

Jay snorted, she didn't care what relationship they had, next time she'd kill the she-cat. "Where's your leaf packet?" Jay grumbled.

"I left it when I helped you gather the herbs, you were running everywhere after the leaves, so I grabbed the berries and the ones that fell on the ground," Ash mewed, leading her back the way they'd come.

"Hey, Ash, can I talk to you for a moment?" Raizel called after them and as Ash responded affirmatively, Jay ignored them and continued back along the path to where she'd left her herb bundle. She wondered what they were talking about, but there was no way she could spy on them with the wind blowing her scent straight toward them and her pride wouldn't allow her to ask them herself.

When she got back to her herb bundle she saw it had been partially filled again and Ash's was tucked safely under some roots that kept it from opening in the wind. Jay quickly slipped her own herbs into the bag and picked it up, wondering impatiently what was taking Ash so long.

Though, it was probably only a few minutes later Ash came running back, gray eyes stormy in worry. "Something the matter?" Jay asked as he hastily grabbed his bundle of herbs and looked quickly at her, shaking his head.

"Of course not, shall we be going?" Jay couldn't believe he was so obviously lying, usually, he was far more subtle. _Did something spook him?_ Curiosity itched at her but she ignored it, she wanted to get home before it was night and the darkening sky wasn't making that look too promising.

Jay led him forward but he called back, "Wait, aren't we going back the way we came?" he asked.

"It'll be easier to travel in the wind on flat ground instead of on a mountainside," Jay snapped. Yes, they'd have to cut through StarReader territory, but they were practically living in StarReader territory, it would be fine.

"It won't be easier if we get caught," Ash growled.

"If you're so scared go the other way alone, I'll take my chances down here," Jay snapped, she was tired from the long trek and then the wild chase, the wind was relentless and she was cold. She wanted to go home.

She almost thought Ash would go his own way, but he followed, growing increasingly pensive as they came closer to the StarReader territory. Jay looked around, as expected there was no fresh scent of StarReader around and she didn't see Adder either. She wondered if he was still hanging around or if he had left yet.

"What are you looking at?" Ash asked sharply.

Jay glanced back at him, his orange was ruffled, but not from the wind, and his eyes were darting to every shadow in sight. "Nothing, what's got you so riled up? What did your friend tell you?"

Ash gave her a sharp glance, "Like I'd tell you that," he growled.

Jay snorted and pushed into StarReader territory, "Whatever, but why did you have to lie earlier?"

"Lie?" Ash asked, a tone of irritation in his voice.

"About doing all the spying yourself, you usually aren't so blatant with your lies. It's irritating," she snapped, glaring at him.

But Ash was looking confused now, "I wasn't lying. I always do all my spying alone, I don't trust others to give me accurate information."

"Oh yeah, so what was that cat that tailed me around for moons until you came and started spending some time with the kits?" Jay snapped angrily, what was he trying to hide by denying this?

Ash's gray eyes were growing more dim, "Some cat was tailing you? Do you know who it was?"

"Yeah, it was Snip, that gray tom with the white bit on his chest. He was at my meeting with the rogues, I didn't know it was him until much later," Jay sniffed, "He didn't find anything though, I always threw him off before I did anything. Though did you really have to have him follow me to our meetings?"

Ash was looking more and more alarmed, "Let's talk about this later," he mewed hoarsely. Jay snorted, _what is he so afraid of? This insist the worst thing he's done to me_. "This way," he mewed, leading her quickly through the territory.

"Wait, what's that smell?" Jay's nose curled, amidst the wind and the fragrant herbs a rotten stench wafted to her.

"Let's just go!" Ash pressed, looking desperate.

But even though Jay's instincts were telling her to go along with Ash this one time, her pride wouldn't allow it. "It almost smells like a-" she left her sentence unfinished as she approached a dead fern bush, scared at what she might find.

Had she not been gripping her bag of herbs so tightly she probably would have shrieked. She jumped back, crawling and scrambling or whatever she had to do to put distance between her and that sight which she felt had tainted her by laying her eyes upon it.

Ash was looking at her in knowing horror, "What was that?!" she demanded, gaze flying between his dumb look and the bush. She had seen plenty of gruesome sights; torn and shredded skin, broken limbs and necks, gouged out eyes, and torn off tongues and tails. But none of them came close to the atrocity of what she'd seen.

"Let's go," Ash whispered hoarsely.

But she grabbed at him with a paw, "What _is_ it?!"

Ash looked down at her crouched form against the ground, eyes wide and shocked and started in a broken voice. "Some cat had to pay for what happened last moon when we stole the kits. Blaming it solely on an outsider wouldn't have taught the cats anything but to hope. Some cat had to take the blame," Ash muttered, looking away.

Jay was horrified, she had thought it was, but she hadn't believed it, no way, they couldn't have done that to her. "Swoop?" her voice cracked as she looked at the bush. Jay hadn't felt such pain in a long time, it even rivaled her sorrow for Thyme.

"And Crag. They blamed Eagle's parents. I didn't know until Raizel told me about a rumor that's been going around," Ash looked pretty moved as well, or at least, horrified.

Jay's head was spinning, "They were _tortured_ to death," her whispered words sunk in on them both. There was nothing else that could have resulted in such a distortion of appearances. The two tolerating enemies shared a look of extreme horror, neither of them knew how to act in the face of such barbarity.

At last Jay broken the silence, "We can't leave their bodies there," her voice sounded far-off as if it had left her for the moment.

Ash looked sickened at the thought, "The ground's too cold to dig into," he mewed lamely.

"We'll drop their bodies down the ravine," she answered, eyes fixed anywhere but on the bush. Slowly, as if she were moving under water, she put down her herb packet where it wouldn't blow away and started back toward the bush, Ash followed behind her.

The smell was beyond terrible, it churned the stomach and you didn't want to open your mouth in case you contaminated yourself further. Jay had come onto an old rabbit corpse once, with maggots and bugs buzzing around it and been disgusted, but that was nothing to this disgust.

She couldn't even bring herself to look again at the bodies, once had been enough to burn it into her mind. But it was a bit troublesome for moving the bodies. When Jay tried to grab Swoop's scruff the skin pulled right off and she'd let go and leaped away, wanting nothing more than to run far, far away. But she went back and used her paws to roll the body the fifteen feet to the ravine's edge.

Ash looked as sick as she felt and she hated herself for feeling so relieved as she heard the body thump and bounce off the walls down the ravine until it was out of sight. Ash had deposited Crag's body too and the two of them stood at the edge of the ravine, their own terrible thoughts torturing them.

 _They were so mangled, death was probably a sweet release at that point. But how... how could I ever tell their sons what became of them? If I tell them their parents died and they ask how, what could I possibly say?_ She'd never truly felt sorry for Thunderstorm before, but now she felt like crying for him. She'd seen how close he'd been to his father, and he'd even been considerably close to his mother by Ivy Cat standards.

The image of Swoop's and Crag's corpses resurfaced and now she was so tired, and drained, and sickened, she couldn't help herself and turned away, retching in a patch of grass along the ravine. Shoulders shaking and stomach tightened, sobs escaped her. She was horrified that she was showing such weakness in front of Ash, but he didn't say anything- she dimly wondered if he even noticed.

Only after she'd finished and her sobs were mere sniffles did he move, laying his tail over her shoulders and with a gentleness she'd never felt him guide her over to her herb packet, she grabbed it mechanically and stood there, the darkness of twilight thick around them.

"Come on, let's go home," Ash murmured and Jay didn't protest, allowing herself to lean against him as he leaned against her. She wasn't thinking about how he was one of her worst enemies, but at the moment, they were one in their sorrow and dread.

But his fur was warm and bright so that she could watch it and forget for a moment what she'd seen. The wind drowned out the thoughts in her head but she knew that the snow that fell light and then heavily as they climbed into the mountains would never wash away the feeling of rotten flesh from her paws or the taste from her mouth.


	38. Lost Time

The days were dark, the night was darker, everywhere Jay lifted her eyes she was met by darkness. The shadow of horror remained imprinted on her mind long after the memory had lost its bitter taste. It had awakened old haunts in her mind which had remained buried since the birth of her kits. Now they returned with a vengeance, making it no difficulty to sit guard all night while the others slumbered around her.

Nearly half a moon had passed since she and Ash had gone to collect her herbs and found the two corpses. Ash had disappeared the day after and Jay couldn't muster any energy to track him down. She was still embarrassed that she'd shown such weakness in front of him, but she could also remember the gentle warmth in which the two had walked away from the scene.

Had she ever felt such tenderness from anyone? Certainly not in recent memory, and definitely not from him. She could only surmise that he had been so shocked that he hadn't been thinking about what he was doing. After all, she knew he was easily put into a tame state when he was given too much of a shock.

The mountains had changed since the first snow-fall too, the stone valley's ponds had frozen over and it was coated smoothly with an even sheet of pristine snow that glimmered. She was sure the valley was white as well. In the ravine the pines held up most of the snow upon their heavy branches and the snow underpaw was hardly enough to retain a paw-print.

The kits enjoyed the snow, finding it fun to fling sticks or pawfulls of snow up at the branches in the hope that they'd cause an avalanche of snow to fall on the head of one of their play-mates. Eagle had become an expert, being able to fling pebble harder and further than the younger kits and nary a day passed without some bunch of snow-covered kits ganging up on him to exact their revenge.

Their innocent playfulness was Jay's only solace. Though every time she looked at Eagle she was struck with pangs of guilt, which was so unlike her that she wondered if she had become ill. But there were no other symptoms for the heaviness in her chest.

She hadn't been able to tell Eagle or Thunderstorm what had become of their parents. She had tried twice to tell the elder sibling, but had gotten too scared that he would ask the circumstances of their death that she had aborted the attempt. It haunted her and she avoided him, leaving Silver to take care of him while she busied herself with the kits.

Despite living with so many cats, Jay felt like she was growing more and more lonely. Her kits spent most of their time with their play-mates and even Midnight's kits no longer needed her like when she'd first taken them in. She missed Amelia and longed for the company of the quirky murderess.

She had once gone out to the crescent arch tunnel entrance and started down the mountain, intent on finding Amelia, but the sight of the ravine had chased her back home as she swallowed feelings of sickness.

It killed her, knowing what had happened was in part because of her actions, that those who had done such a thing were still in control of many other cats she knew. It killed her that she was now too afraid to try to save the StarReaders. It killed her that the fear controlled her.

The thought that there was even a possibility that if she tried to rescue the StarReaders such a terrible fate could befall her precious kits or any of the cats she'd taken into her care was such that left her trembling deep in the night. Those corpses, all hair pulled from their pelt, their skin nearly all torn off and what left rotten and crawling with maggots; she had no appetite on those days.

A thought came to her mind on one of those nights as she looked at the mouse she had failed to eat for supper; this simply could not go on any longer. She could not bear this pain, this fear, this anxiety that followed her like a shadow waiting to strike.

She'd lived too long wishing for things to be different, wishing to be free, wishing to finally find happiness for her kits and those around her. She was done wishing while time slipped away, uncompromising and unsympathetic. She held her kits close to her that night like she hadn't done since they were only a moon old.

As she petted their soft pelts in the dark den while the soft snores and warm breaths filled the air, she felt like crying. Hail, so tiny as he was left behind by the growing bounds of his littermates, she had watched these moons as he struggled alone to find something that made him stand apart from his brother's superior strength and sister's superior wit. He had found it in his sharp precision, his accurate and skillful ability to manipulate his body.

Flint, the largest and physically strongest of her kits, the kit that was always happy and always trying to put a smile on the other kits, especially when they were feeling down. Jay had felt so proud when he had set aside his own pride and allowed to let Panther beat him in a fight when the she-kit was on the brink of tears since she couldn't beat any of the other kits in the game, or when he had talked with Eagle when the kit had been feeling depressed and missing his parents. He may be big, but his heart was bigger.

And then there was Ice, her precious daughter, the one she worried about the most. The kit was clever and quick-witted, a little clumsy when it came to being nice, but she still tried to be conscious and considerate of the other kits. She never let the taunts of the other kits go unanswered, even if it wasn't directed at her, and she switched between fire and ice as quickly as snow melted in the rain. Jay hadn't forgotten the dream she'd seen and she was always fearing some star cat would steal her daughter away from her, but up in this remote ravine, what could they possibly do?

But she knew the kits wouldn't always be so small, soon they'd want to learn how to hunt and fight and then they'd want to explore, and she wanted them to do so. She wanted them to find their own paths just as she had found hers.

And all the cats around her, all the kits, Crow, Silver, and even Thunderstorm had somehow become for her like a new Clan, a new family that she counted on, if only for the familiarity of their faces to ease her worries. Jay closed her eyes and sent up a prayer, hoping it reached the same ancestors her brother believed in.

_"I want to give these kits, and all these cats, what I never had. A home that accepts them and allows them to be free. I want them to be free."_

* * *

"I'm going to find Amelia," Jay announced the next morning, first to the older cats, leaving Silver stifling her tears at her fate of watching the kits, and then to the kits.

They looked up at her with wide eyes, curious but not concerned. "Will you be back tonight?" Rusty asked, green eyes staring at her intently.

Jay nodded and purred, "Of course, I'll be back before dark. You all be good for the others, I don't want to hear that you were getting into trouble," she warned, leaning down to their eye level and letting her whiskers twitch mischievously, "At least, I don't want to hear that you got _caught_."

She said goodbye to the kits, taking a sharper intake of breath when she spoke to Eagle. She had never noticed how much he looked like his mother, his more lanky shape and the expressions he made were carbon copies of his dear and dead mother. An unwelcome image in her mind replaced Swoop's corpse with Eagle's, causing her to feel nauseous as she left the camp.

Once out among the sharp smelling pines she forgot the rotten scent that lingered in her nose and the perturbing image that flickered before her mind's eye. Right, she had to focus on what she was doing. Which was finding Amelia and finding a way to save the StarReaders as quickly as possible.

Jumping carefully down the entrance to the ravine that was slick with snow, she blinked her eyes at the white expanse that flew away at her paws. It looked unchanged from when she had first crossed this white expanse. The snow made it look flat and much larger, giving a desolate, overwhelming feeling.

Untouched snow covered the ground, pond and rock alike, so that the only color you saw was white. It was like being blind, but not so dark. Since the sky overhead was gray, it prevented the snow from glittering brightly and made it seem more like the white-gray of a cloud.

Her breath was more visible out here, tiny clouds that misted her vision as she forced her way through the snow that already had nearly piled up to her belly, nearly doubled in height since the last time she'd crossed the empty valley. Now she was more than glad that she had moved her cats here, the pines were a perfect shelter, she couldn't imagine how difficult it would have been on the mountainside, and leaf-bare had only just begun.

Plowing her way through the snow, she tried to find the path she had created last time to make it easier, but the surface was smooth as if this was the first time she'd broken through here. Her legs were heavy and shaky by the time she reached the other side, her ears ringing from the silence.

 _At least all that work warmed me up_ , she thought, shaking the cold snow from her pelt. Climbing up the twisty trail was a new difficulty, it seemed that with every step she took forward in the snow, she slid back two. The snow crumbled and fell beneath her paws and she kept herself pressed against the mountainside, worried that she would accidentally step or slip off the thin trail.

Reaching the top she stepped with relief into the dark tunnel. The air was even colder inside but there was only a little snow at the entrance where the wind had driven it in. Moving much faster without snow, she let out a loud mew, hoping that Amelia may be nearby so that she would have to go no further than the tunnel.

But there wasn't any luck and her voice echoed back at her, like a cracking laugh. Ears twitching in what could be annoyance or unease, she ran through the darkness, letting her whiskers guide her as she kept her nose sucking in the painfully chill air, hoping to catch a warm scent.

She reached the end of the cave with nothing to go on and she reluctantly stepped out, back into the snow. Jay had wanted to never use this passage after it snowed because if the StarReaders happened to come up, they would know some cat was in the valley.

Praying that nothing would happen, she took deep bounds down the mountainside, biting her tongue as she glimpsed the ravine. _It hurts, I can taste the blood... yes, it hurts a lot..._ Using the pain to distract herself from certain memories, she bound past the StarReaders territory and crossed the ravine, now in rogue territory.

The snow here wasn't as deep as it was in the mountains, only reaching half-way up her legs. But the valley looked so different even with that, a desolate white waste land that only she inhabited. Or at least, seemed to inhabit. She waited impatiently for a few moment, if Amelia really could hear so far away, she ought to be able to hear her now.

 _I knew it, she was lying. She must have made up such a ridiculous story to save face._ Snorting at herself for even thinking she could believe such a tale, she marched through the snow, ears flat and tail wrapped against her side for a little warmth.

If Amelia didn't come to her, she wasn't going to find her. She'd find some cat else to help her. Though she wondered if he would even allow her to do it at all. _But in the end, I either need his help, or I need him out of the way. Might as well stop putting it off._

"Where do you think you're going?" Jay started at the voice that boomed in the sacred silence.

Turning with her heart in her throat she blinked as she found herself staring at Amelia's stark black form against the gray sky, the she-cat looking down at her condescendingly from the top of a hill. Recovering quickly from her surprise, Jay's tail twitched, "Took you long enough to get here," she growled as the she-cat descended the hill and stopped three steps in front of her.

"My apologies, I wasn't expecting you today," Amelia mewed with a sort of sarcastic snort. Jay's tail twitched, she was surprised by how pleased she was to hear this cat's dry humor again, but she felt instantly energized.

"I want you to find Ash for me," she mewed, starting off again in a south-west direction.

"Why? I thought you were leaving him be during leaf-bare, or more exactly, I thought he was supposed to be staying with you," Amelia mewed.

Jay shook her head, "No, he's a liar and now something happened and I can't wait until new-leaf like I wanted. We're finding him now and he's either going to help us or die," she mewed grimly. Frankly, she didn't want him dead as much as she had previously, but she could still kill him without guilt. She didn't want to wait until she felt it was an important moral decision.

"He's by the Eagle Tree with that tortoiseshell," Amelia mewed with a yawn. "But its too cold, so I'm going to let you handle this on your own," Amelia mewed, turning away.

"Oh, no, you don't," Jay mewed, grabbing Amelia's tail with her mouth, "You're coming with me."

Amelia glared at her, "Why?"

"What if Ash moves? Or the two of them don't want to listen to me? You can track him and help me keep him in line until I get an answer," Jay mewed, letting go of the tail as Amelia faced her.

The black she-cat seemed to mull that over before agreeing, "Since you haven't seen much of me, I'll grace your mission with my skill."

Together the two she-cats forged through the snow-covered hills. Occasionally they passed other trails in the snow of prey and other cats, which showed that the valley was still the home of several residents, but the bareness and silence was still rather oppressing.

"Are they still there?" Jay asked, they were getting nearer, but it was taking longer than normal with the snow.

"Yeah, they're speculating about the StarReaders' next course of action," Amelia mewed, her amber eyes watching a hawk that was lazily circling the southern mountain.

"Hmm," Jay fell silent again, if he was thinking seriously about the StarReaders' actions there was a chance he would change his tune and at least not get in her way, _but I need his help._ It grated her nerves to think she needed the help of a cat that had betrayed her and everything else he had seemed to support. How was she to ever trust him? _No, you don't have to trust him, just use him. And he is sure to use you as well. But that's okay, so long as the kits don't get involved._

"If you were wondering, Ash doesn't seem to be as enthusiastic about their movements as he was before," Amelia added, Jay glanced over her shoulder to see the black she-cat watching her languidly, just waiting for her to ask.

Jay sniffed, "Hopefully that means he's coming to his senses about what the StarReaders are really about," she growled darkly. If what he'd seen had left him unaffected, he would have been irredeemable.

Before long the Eagle Tree's top branches were visible and the scattered bird nests which dotted the higher branches like odd tufts of snow-coated fur appeared. Jay hadn't been back here since the meeting that had gone badly, and now, as she crested a hill, she could see two cats, one an annoying orange color and the other and irritating tortoiseshell array of colors being black, brown, and white.

"Your breathing is suddenly heavier, are you already tired?" Amelia asked mockingly.

"Shut up," Jay hissed, glaring at her companion.

"Well they seem to have spotted us," Amelia continued.

Jay looked forward again to see two pair of eyes trained on them. She straightened out and started walking toward them with a commanding air, pushing through the snow as though it wasn't there. The two cats watched her quietly with narrowed eyes as she mounted the rise that the Eagle Tree stood upon.

"Ash, Raizel," Jay mewed curtly, nodding at them both.

"Well? What do you want?" the tortoiseshell asked in annoyance, "We were in the middle of something."

"I'm sure you were," Amelia snickered. Jay gave her a look but didn't shush her.

"Ash, I've come to a decision on something and I think you should know," she mewed, squaring up the orange tom.

"Let's here it then," Ash mewed, getting to his paws and watching her calmly.

"I'm going to drive the StarReaders out of the valley," she mewed, cutting straight to the point.

Ash blinked and took a moment to respond, but didn't seem surprised, "We made a deal that you wouldn't interfere with the valley after we got back Midnight's kits," he mewed slowly, keeping their eyes locked.

"Yes, but that no longer seems to be an option. We cannot live in the ravine or on that mountainside all our lives, there are too many of us. Besides, we should not be restricted from this valley when there is more than enough land to go around. Not to mention that letting the StarReaders continue to exist as they are is morally wrong," Jay mewed.

"Since when did you care for morals? You never seem sky to kill or threaten when its to get your way," Ash mewed, tilting his head loftily.

"Perhaps that's true, but I don't torture cats to death to set an example, or kill them as gifts to meaningless stars," Jay growled, feeling her mood instantly darken. Ash's seemed to as well at the mention of torture and he was silent again for a few moments.

"Do you have any reasonable plan to defeat them?" he asked after a few moments.

Jay blinked, if he was willing to hear her out half the work was done. "Due to their size, we need a formidable force that nearly equals them. Since the cats they keep captive are nearly that size, all we have to do is get the word to them and set a date," she mewed.

"But the captive cats are under tight surveillance and are half-starved, they don't have the strength for this," the tortoiseshell butted in.

"Yes, but the StarReaders don't practice fighting. Some of their cats can fight but they are not fighters. Why do you think they had to wait until the other forces in the valley were weak until they took over? They had plenty of cats, but they can't fight," Jay mewed.

"Humph, shows what you know," the tortoiseshell huffed, rolling her eyes. "How have they taken over so much territory then?"

"I told you, its their numbers. By enveloping the Ivy cats and Python's group they've nearly tripled in numbers, and since those cats know how to fight, they've also added a lot of power. But we cut that power in half and they're easy to finish off."

"So you not only want to convince the captive cats, but the cats they've added to their own ranks?" Ash asked. "What if they don't want to?:

"Considering that many of the cats have friends or families in the captive side, I imagine it won't be as difficult to convince them as it will be to get the message to them," Jay mewed. "I'm actually surprised that they haven't done anything on their own, actually," Jay mewed.

"Maybe they have a reason," Ash suggested.

"And what would that be?" Jay snapped, if he was going to say something like that, he may as well say something helpful.

"Nevermind. But if you are going to go through with this, then you should be prepared for the consequences," he warned. "As for me, since I'm no longer working for the StarReaders, I'll leave you be. I look forward to seeing you two destroy each other," he purred.

Jay purred at him and turned to Amelia, "How cute, he thinks I'm going to leave him out of this."

"You can't make me do anything," Ash mewed sharply.

"No? Whose taking care of your kits again?" Jay asked innocently.

Raizel glanced at Ash in obvious surprise, "I didn't know you had kits..."

Ash gave her a wry look and shook his head, "It's a long story. Well? What do you want from me?" he looked pointedly at Jay.

"I want you to lend me some of your information and contacts," she mewed, "I can carry out my plan without you, but I don't have the information and resources that you do."

"I don't _lend_ information, I _sell_ it," Ash mewed sharply, gray eyes narrowed.

"Who takes care of your kits again?"

"I guess I do owe you something..." the tom muttered something under his breath that sounded like a curse.

"Anyways, since I want to get back before it gets dark, walk with us while we discuss things," Jay mewed, motioning with her tail and walking out toward the hills. The cats took a few moments, but first Amelia then Ash and finally Raizel followed.

"So what information and 'resources' do you want from me?" Ash asked.

"Firstly, I need you to take a more active role with your kits," she mewed, narrowing her eyes at him. "I can't have Silver watching them all the time or she'll go insane. Secondly, I need to know what exactly are the StarReaders abilities and why they sacrifice cats," Jay added in a more serious tone.

"It isn't like I know that much more than you in that department. They sacrifice cats sometimes in their mountain home, they call them gifts and claims its for their ancestors. As far as their abilities go, only a paw-full are impressive. Lune being the most impressive, of course," Ash mused, gray eyes squinting, "She's an interesting cat."

"And what makes her so interesting?" Jay asked, watching the orange tom closely. His eyes were hazy, he looked like he was concentrating on something that consumed all his attention.

"She's different than the others, and not just because she's their leader's daughter. She can do these things and you don't understand how, it just is. As if reality itself is bent at her will," he mewed.

Jay twitched her tail, "That's ridiculous."

"But it may not be untrue," Amelia added in. All three cats looked at the black she-cat in surprise, Amelia's tail-tip was twitching quickly and her amber eyes were nearly shut in thought. "The stars can grant powers in return for favors, or in some cases, lives," the she-cat continued.

"Now you're speaking nonsense too," Jay sighed. StarClan had never granted any Clan cats incredible powers, not even when it would have been incredibly useful to usurp unjust rulers.

"Jay, remember what we talked about that one time?" Amelia mewed, looking at her pointedly.

She assumed Amelia was referring to her 'sharp' hearing, "Yes?"

"Well, it's like that," the black she-cat mewed.

"I don't understa-"

"Who's that?" Raizel's sharp voice interrupted the conversation and the three other cats looked forward to see a pale yellow figure bounding across the snow, undeniably headed for them.

"It's your friend, Jay," Amelia mewed, ears twitching.

"Who?" Jay looked at Amelia in confusion, did she have any friends in this valley?

"Adder, and he's bringing someone else too." The four cats waited in silence on a cold, snowy hill as Adder approached them. It was definitely the young tom, though he looked leaner than before, and he did indeed have a friend. Jay's hackles rose as she recognized StarReader scent.

The two cats were huffing from exertion, large clouds puffing from their mouths as they slowly ascended the final hill to meet them. "Who are you flea-pelts?" Raizel growled angrily, green eyes narrowed at the StarReader.

Ash waved his tail in a calming motion at Raizel, "Your name is Dusk Howl, correct?" Ash asked, his tone had changed once again, a more pleasant and inviting tone. Perfect for tempting your prey forward to catch them in a snare.

The StarReader, a brown tom of about average size with ginger stripes and charcoal gray eyes, nodded at Ash, "You were that informant from before, uh, I don't remember your name," the tom mewed, frowning at Ash.

"My name is Ash, and these three are my friends," he mewed smoothly, waving his tail at the others.

Jay growled and stepped forward to his shoulder, "My name is Jay, do you and Adder need something?" she asked, glancing at the yellow tom who was regarding Ash with suspicion.

He immediately turned to her when she asked that, "You told me that if I ever needed a favor I should come to you," he mewed, trapping her gazes with his serious brown eyes.

Jay awkwardly nodded her head, she was not exactly feeling generous at the moment, but she couldn't start breaking promises in front of the others. _Please be something simple._

"I want you to let Howl and I to join you in defeating the StarReaders."


	39. Recapitulation

_Who is this cat? He looks sincere enough, but then again, so does Ash. Does he look familiar? No... I've never seen any cat like him before, I'm sure. So why do I feel that I've met him? Why does it feel like the memory is trapped? My head hurts..._

Jay let out a sigh as she tried to ignore her spinning thoughts. This Dust Howl character, what was he about? She watched him suspiciously as he talked calmly with Amelia about such things as how well the prey was running and when the next snow-fall would come.

What was she to do? Adder was watching her intently while Ash and Raizel seemed to be trying to slowly sneak away. All six of them were sitting beneath a heather hedge where they were sheltered from too curious eyes and the biting wind.

With a second sigh she turned to the young yellow tom on her right, "Adder, why do you want to join me all of a sudden? You didn't want to when I asked you before, or any other time when we ran into each other." She had to admit she was confused, Adder had always seemed uncomfortable around others and not terribly invested in a cause that involved others. Even now he seemed uneasy around so many strangers.

But he didn't hesitate in his reply, "I was investigating some things and now I'm ready to help. I have my own reasons for wanting the StarReaders gone, and I'm prepared to help to the fullest of my capabilities." His brown eyes were steady and sure, they seemed reminiscent of another cat Jay had known before.

"And what about your new friend, he's a StarReader," Jay growled, eyes narrowed. The thought that this cat had played a part in the terrors unleashed on the valley fueled an unjust anger against him. And when she thought that he had been part, or at least done nothing, while Swoop and Crag were tortured onto death, she barely kept herself from tearing his perfect pelt apart.

The brown tabby tom looked up from his conversation with Amelia, "I, too, want my cats to leave this valley."

 _"My cats?" So he still considers himself one of them, this isn't a regular deserter._ "And why is that?" Amelia gazed calmly upon him.

"This valley is not our home. We are only happy among the stone, water, and the stars. Since we have come here we have become tainted, granting outsiders knowledge of secrets that our ancestors and those before them guarded with their lives," Dusk Howl's dark gray eyes shone with an internal light, Jay knew it came from a faith in a higher, if not impossible, thing.

"And what do you hope to gain by taking a stance against your cats?" Jay asked. If he left his cats and fought against them, even if he thought it was for their own good, he would never have a place among them regardless of what happened. Was he a martyr? Those types were dangerous.

"I want to return them to their rightful home. Our mission is not to conquer the world as Blanche and Lune proclaim, but to converse and safeguard the secrets of the stars," his voice took on a deeper meaning. It itched at Jay, she knew she had seen this cat, but she knew at the same time that she hadn't. What was bugging her about him? Who was this cat?

"Do you believe in killing others and offering them as 'gifts' to the stars?" This was an important question that Jay had to ask. She could never, ever, take a cat to her camp who agreed with such a vulgar act.

Dusk Howl shook his head slowly, "That is another path which we have stepped off of. These things never occurred until Blanche succeeded her father, or so my parents told me. It is only out of selfishness and greed that these terrible sacrifices are made. I wish to end it and all those who have participated in it."

"What is the purpose for these sacrifices?" Amelia asked.

But the tabby tom shook his head, "That is a secret. I could not betray the stars."

Jay's tail thumped against the ground, "If you want us to trust you, you can't have any secrets."

Dusk Howl set his jaw firmly, "I will not budge on this. If need be, I will find another way. I can tell you many things about my cats, however, and it may aid the cause that we are parallel in pursuing."

Jay tilted her head, considering. It would be good to have some other cat to get information from aside from Ash. But this was a StarReader, an enemy. What if he was a spy? If she took him to the ravine, would he run back to his cats and mount an attack where her kits were?

She hadn't forgotten that white cat that had been speaking with her kits when they wandered off, and they had stolen Midnight's kits once, was she willing to risk something so precious for information? But he was with Adder and she did trust the young tom to not act stupidly, if nothing else.

"Adder," she turned seriously to him, "Can you vouch for his sincerity in this cause? That he will do nothing to harm us or our young?"

Adder straightened up, as if trying to seem more grown-up. "I can, and I believe his help is not something to be taken lightly. I trust him fully." Jay didn't know how good a judge of character he was, but she didn't have much else to go on.

Turning to the two young toms she dipped her head, "Welcome to the team."

* * *

Blue shadows cast by the mountains stretched over the snow, Jay's paws were frozen numb and her nose was crusty where her breath had frozen over her muzzle. Her ears were flat against her head and she kept as close to the other cats to share in their warmth as was practical as they traversed the valley.

They were two cats shorter than when they had sat together under the heather bush. Amelia had opted to stay in the valley and so had Raizel. Jay had tasked Amelia with keeping an eye, or an ear, on the StarReaders. If something like what had happened to Swoop and Crag occurred again, she wanted to know.

Which brought up an uneasy question. Had Amelia been aware of what had happened? Did she really believe what Amelia said about her hearing? And if she did, what did that mean? That Amelia had known everything that was happening in the valley and hadn't told her? It was difficult to comprehend the repercussions, and Jay found herself only believing in the power when it was convenient for her.

Ash too had told Raizel to keep close attention on anything regarding the StarReaders and asked that she cooperate with Amelia should it be necessary 'for the benefit of the cats in the valley.' And so they'd left the two she-cats behind and the remaining group of four continued up into the mountain and down into the valley, where they now were.

"I'm impressed you were able to find our home, normal cats shouldn't be able to find it," Dusk Howl mewed, looking a little disconcerted as he gave her an admiring glance.

Jay exchanged a look with Ash and he rolled his eyes, "It's better not to let him know that its common knowledge that the StarReaders are from here," Ash whispered to her. "They think that the path to the valley can only be seen by cats chosen by the stars, namely, themselves."

Jay rolled her eyes, such egotistical thinking, exactly what she would expect from cats like the StarReaders. "I imagine you used that thinking to your advantage," she whispered back.

Ash smirked, whiskers twitching deviously, "I couldn't let such an opportune piece of information to go to waste."

Shaking her head, Jay stepped lightly through the snow, using the trail she'd made when leaving the valley. The cats walked quietly past the gray dens that were formerly the StarReaders, but Jay noticed Dusk Howl looking at them with wistful longing in his gaze.

"You cats don't live in the valley?" he asked as they passed by the camp without stopping.

Jay didn't bother to turn around to look at him, "No, we live in the ravine," she mewed. Dusk Howl didn't answer, but she thought she heard a relieved sigh. _Probably didn't want strangers stinking up his sacred place._

They climbed up the short rock-strewn path into the ravine and Jay felt her shoulders relax as the scents of her new home washed over her. Not to mention the snow was much lower and the pines were like a cover that kept out the oppressing cold of the wind.

"Where are your cats?" Dusk Howl asked, looking around as if he expected creatures to assimilate from the shadows.

"Further in, who would live right here?" Jay growled, wishing he could be quiet like the rest.

He looked at her as if shocked by her rough tone, "I do apologize for asking so many questions, but how else do you expect me to learn?"

Jay jerked her head forward again and ignored him, though she spat spitefully in her mind, _perhaps you try observing like you aren't an impatient snob that deserves to know everything? This isn't going to last long if he keeps this up._

They managed the rest of the journey in silence and Jay purred as a pack of kits came charging out to meet them. Her three kits launched themselves at her, Flint scrambling onto her back while Ice tried to knock him off and Hail weaved between her legs. Ash's kits cautiously approached him, looking as unsure of what to do as Ash.

Eagle hung back, even though he had charged in as excitedly as the other kits. It seemed he had noticed Dusk Howl and was eying him suspiciously. They all congregated by the oak tree where Crow had been sleeping and soon Silver and Thunderstorm appeared, with the former leading the latter.

Silver and Thunderstorm hung back and Eagle joined them while Dusk Howl introduced himself to Crow and respectfully asked for his acceptance. Adder was hanging back behind the group, looking uncomfortable as he gave his chest a few quick licks and then scratched himself behind the ear.

Jay took a deep breath, it seemed she would have to make some sort of announcement. Launching herself onto the lowest branch of the oak tree she let out a loud mew and attracted the attention of all the cats beneath her. "As I'm sure you've noticed, I've returned with two new cats; Adder and Dusk Howl."

Silver let out a protesting growl, glaring up at her, "He's a StarReader! What are you thinking?!" Thunderstorm nodded solemnly while Eagle hid behind his brother. The other kits, however, looked at Dusk Howl in amazement. Midnight's kits didn't remember much of their captivity and Jay's kits had only heard the name of StarReaders by eavesdropping on hushed conversations.

"He wants to help us-" Jay began but Silver cut her off.

"We don't need his help!" Jay gave a cough to let Silver know she was being rude in front of strangers but the she-cat didn't seem to understand. "And now that he knows our location, we have to leave!"

"We aren't going anywhere," Jay mewed soothingly as the cats began to panic. "Dusk Howl and Adder will be joining us and aiding us in our efforts."

"Efforts of what? You sound like you mean something more than hunting," Crow rasped, narrowing his old eyes.

Jay dipped her head, "I've discussed this with Silver and Amelia. We want to free the cats being held captive by the StarReaders and send them back to the stone valley. Dusk Howl wants this as well and will help us," Jay mewed firmly.

Adder was shifting his paws as the cats turned to regard the two newcomers, but Dusk Howl met the looks with a superior air that quieted the offensive murmurs. Silver raised her tail, looking a little less agitated, "Will they have a guard?"

Jay's tail twitched, "Did I put a guard on you?" she asked dryly.

"You put one on Thunderstorm," she shot back.

"That was because he is blind and in a new place, if he needed something, he would need help, as least at first," she added as Thunderstorm's hackles rose. "However, I understand the concerns and for the first moon Dusk Howl and Adder cannot leave the camp area alone without permission. If they do, it must be for a very serious reason or I will consider banishing them," that seemed acceptable to the cats, though Thunderstorm and Eagle looked nervous.

After jumping down from the tree, Jay headed for the two new cats who were looking around, seemingly a little lost as to what to do next. "Adder, Dusk Howl, I hope you don't mind the condition I gave for you two," Jay mewed apologetically, not that she felt apologetic in any way.

Dusk Howl nodded his head, "It is alright, but it is really no difficult task, I have no idea how that rule will stop us if we truly are going to betray you."

Jay grinned, "True, it is easy to disobey. But that is the point, it isn't meant to keep you in check, it's meant to build trust between the two of you and the others. If you can be trusted in little things, they will trust you with larger things," she explained.

Ash's eyes gleamed as she explained and she wondered how he had not caught that earlier, _though is it that big of a surprise that he doesn't understand how to build trust? He's always so bent on breaking it..._ "By the way..." Dusk Howl mewed, gaze straying over to Thunderstorm, Silver, and Eagle, "Those three look familiar."

Jay glanced at them, surely he wasn't serious, yet he looked confused as he regarded them. "Yes... Silver was once a cat held captive by the StarReaders, same with Eagle and Thunderstorm, the two brothers were held much more recently," she explained slowly.

"Hey," Adder added in, "The gray one was an Ivy Cat, wasn't he? And, his brother too?"

"That's right," Ash mewed, flashing a glance at them, "But Thunderstorm is blind and Eagle is young, so neither of them participated in the fight."

"Ah, I see, that's why I didn't remember them at first," Dusk Howl's gaze cleared, "I never paid much attention to the useless."

Jay exchanged a sharp glance with Ash. Although neither of them particularly liked the tom, calling Thunderstorm useless was poor taste. "He may be blind, but it isn't like he is helpless," Jay mewed mildly, feeling like she ought to say something in defense of him since he wasn't close enough to do it himself.

Dusk Howl looked at her with surprise in his smooth gray eyes, "I'm sorry if I spoke rashly, I meant no offense."

Jay hummed and shook her head, taking a step back and smoothing some of her shoulder fur with her tongue. She didn't understand this cat at all, sometimes he seemed more civilized than a Clan cat, sometimes coarser than a rogue.

 _At least Adder is able to understand, he's a loner through and through. I just wonder why he's so concerned about the cats being held captive by the StarReaders, what are his purposes for being here?_ "I think I must offer those two my condolences," Dusk Howl interrupted her thoughts with this statement.

"What?" Jay looked at him wide-eyed and found that Ash and Adder were as confused as she was.

"Eagle's appearance reminded me. They are the sons of Crag and Swoop, are they not? I must offer my condolences," Dusk Howl mewed, stepping toward the two toms.

It took Jay a moment to register what he was doing before she was moving after him. But she had been too slow, he was already dipping his head and mewing his deepest regrets and offering his sympathies to the group of three cats.

Thunderstorm seemed disturbed and his ears were twitching nervously, Eagle looked frightened as if Dusk Howl were speaking in a strange tongue, and Silver looked about ready to claw his face off as she stood between him and the two brothers.

"What garbage are you spouting, you rat!" Silver hissed, arching her back and unsheathing her claws.

Dusk Howl seemed taken aback, "I'm not talking to you, I was talking to them. I wanted to apologize for the heinous acts taken against their parents, you must be heartbroken," he mewed feelingly.

Eagle hid deeper behind his brother and Thunderstorm seemed unable to put words in his mouth, "Are you saying that they were hurt by the StarReaders?"

Jay had reached Dusk Howl and was about to drag him away when the words fell carelessly from his mouth, "No, I'm saying that they are dead. My, how terrible it is to feign ignorance over such a serious matter, is this how you honor them?"the former StarReader admonished them.

"Dead?" Thunderstorm echoed and Eagle gave a tiny wail. The blind cat's eyes seemed even more blank as his eyelids slid half closed and his breathing became rough.

Silver turned angrily on the newcomer but Dusk Howl turned casually toward Jay's horrified expression, "I don't understand. You mentioned their death earlier when you were determining whether to allow Adder and I to join you. Why do they seem to not know about their parents death? Are they so stupid?"

Jay felt too guilty to get angry and, besides, Silver seemed to have that emotion in full stock. "You! Get out of here!" she screeched as Dusk Howl, boxing at his ears.

"Ow! Ouch! No need to get violent, but I cannot leave camp without permission," the tabby mewed as the pale gray she-cat attacked him.

"I give you permission! Get out of here you useless flea-bag!" in the face of Silver's fury Dusk Howl quickly retreated into the pines, but not without a chuckle of how unreasonable rogues were.

"And you!" Jay felt Silver's anger turn on her, coupled by Thunderstorm's and Eagle's pain as they recovered enough to realize what was happening. "How could you keep something like that a secret?! We were just talking about needing to trust the new cats, but I don't know if we can even trust you! Do you think you were helping any cat by not telling them something like that? Do you think your kits would want it to be hidden from them if you died?!"

Jay glanced at her kits, they were looking at her wide-eyed, tears welling up as they sniffled, frightened by the anger and conflict and not quite understanding. But she knew she had been wrong, guilt was a terrible feeling, a feeling she'd tried so hard to get rid of. But this time she had been weak to her own fears and had failed others because of that.

 _What responsibility have I to them? I am their leader, they have to trust me. I have no reason to feel guilty. A leader can do no wrong, I was not wrong, I am not wrong. Silver is being unreasonable and noisy again... so noisy._ Her guilt turned to a dry fire, being fanned by Silver's hot gust of rage. Her eyes closed, she took the insults and scoldings, seething hotter and hotter until Silver was out of breath.

"You... shouldn't... have done that... you're a terrible... cat," Silver wheezed, stumbling in front of her, anger spent as Thunderstorm regarded her with disdain in his sightless eyes. And Eagle, he looked at her with a look of broken trust, of lost friendship. Don't look at me like that, she thought, narrowing her eyes as she met Eagle's gaze.

He was imploring her to apologize, and for him, it would be that simple. As a kit, he could forgive her if she simply asked. But if there was one thing she had never asked for before, it was forgiveness, her decisions were her own and she would never regret them.

"Are you done?" her low voice masked rage. Silver looked at her in surprise but Jay didn't give her time to answer, "If you want excuses or apologies, you aren't going to get them. I did what I did, there's nothing else to say. I don't care to justify myself or try to help you understand," she held Silver's pale blue eyes in her own dark blue, nearly black, gaze.

"I can do what I like, you have no right to judge me. I never lied to them, for they never asked about their parents, and I did not kill their parents, so their death is not my fault. Taking your anger out on me is childish," Jay mewed coldly, turning away before she lost her temper even further.

No cat moved as she made to leave the clearing and no cat said anything, not even her kits came to her. With her eyes closed she walked in the darkness of her own mind. Why did she get so angry? Why did she say those things?Why was she so prideful?!

"Fox-dung!" she spat, scoring her claws across a pine trunk. Perhaps Silver had overreacted a little, but that was no excuse for her to get so angry. She must have scared the kits so much... And how was she supposed to ever get cats' cooperation like this? They wouldn't forget it overnight.

"My mentor always did tell me that I was too rash, I never really believed her though," she muttered.

"Is that so?"

Jay jumped at the voice, but she recognized Dusk Howl immediately. "What are you doing here?" Jay scowled, this was all his fault. He had to go and do unnecessary things.

Dusk Howl didn't seem bothered by her tone and waved his tail, "It seemed I needed to give the others some space, though I admit I don't understand what I did wrong. I do apologize," he mewed, dipping his sleek brown and ginger tabby head.

Jay's tail twitched, she supposed he didn't do something inherently bad. Offering your sympathies to a cat that had lost loved ones was usually something looked upon with gratitude. She sighed, "It was my fault about what happened, the others know it too, but when painful emotions are called up they want to blame someone and they were already poised to blame you."

"I hope I didn't put you in an uncomfortable situation," he mewed, gray eyes clear and concerned.

Jay gave him a wry smile, he was incredibly inept at understanding what was happening. _Again, it feels so familiar. He says things without thinking, and hurtful things at that, but he doesn't seem to realize they're hurtful. His emotions flow easily and he doesn't hide them. He's a peaceful cat, but also knows and holds power in the form of his convictions._

Jay blinked, realizing as she stared at Dusk Howl that in her mind she wasn't seeing the brown and ginger tabby, instead she saw a stone gray tom with a black paw and black ear. Rainpaw... her heart ached for her brother, for a moment homesickness swept over her stronger than ever before, she shook the feeling away, but the tenderness of the memory stayed warm in her heart for a few moments.

"You remind me a lot of my brother," she mewed slowly, taking a few steps toward him.

Dusk Howl looked surprised and dipped his head, "I'm honored you find that I resemble a dear one."

Jay purred, "You don't _look_ like him, you just have a similar... feeling."

"How so?"

"Well," Jay mewed slowly, wandering throughout the pines, focusing her memory on her brother, "You're both surprising with your convictions, I never expected my brother the choose the path he did and I never expected a StarReader to come join me."

"But many, many cats are surprising. You are one as well, a rogue that has no connection to the mountains suddenly appears and gets deeply involved with many dangerous and important aspects," he paused as she gave him a confused and pointed look. "Ash gave the StarReaders a brief report on you once."

"Humph, of course he did," she scowled. "Anyways, it's more of the way you go about it, you aren't loud, but steadily calm, steadily pushing. A slow and steady approach, I would say. You're both sensitive as well, most cats wouldn't think of giving their condolences to cats that were once their prisoners, especially when I know you look down on those who are not part of the 'chosen ones.'"

Dusk Howl hesitated behind her, "I am trying hard to not let it show," he murmured quietly. Jay's whiskers twitched, _that was trying not to let it show? My goodness he's terrible._ "But I do believe that those chosen by the stars are special, I won't forget it for the sake of helping my cats."

"Well, if the others notice they won't be happy, no one likes being looked down upon," Jay paused as she came to the edge of the ravine, the stone valley a valley of snow below her paws.

"But I hope you know that we weren't always so violent in asserting our beliefs," Dusk Howl added, coming up to her shoulder and staring at her imploringly.

"I'm not sure, it seemed fairly natural for you to steal kits and kill helpless prisoners, I never heard reports of protests among the StarReaders," Jay mewed dubiously.

Dusk Howl shook his head, "We are used to it now, since all of us are younger than Blanche and she has practiced this since she took leadership. But my parents were against it and they told me about how things used to be," his gray eyes misted with feeling as he looked out over the valley.

"Your parents aren't alive then?" Jay guessed, she realized that she was probably far younger than this cat. He wasn't old, but he certainly didn't seem bursting with youth.

Dusk Howl shook his head, "No, they've gone before us. I honor them by keeping alive their memories, about the previous leader and how we used to honor the stars."

"If you didn't give sacrifices, what did you do?" Jay asked.

Dusk Howl glanced at her, "Are you trying to pry secrets from me?" he asked in a light tone.

Jay shrugged, "Just trying to get a better picture, is all."

"Well, I can tell you some things. We didn't offer lives, or at least, not by forcing death. Our own lives were lived in a specific way, gathering at night to speak with the stars, going to certain places where we were closer to the stars. They told me life was bliss and death was a joy. They could see their fallen friends and foster a bond with cats that had died long before their time. And now..." Dusk Howl closed his eyes as if in pain. "All that is lost, turned over in a greed for power."

"What do you mean?" Jay asked softly.

Dusk Howl didn't seem to hear her, "I'm so sorry," he whispered not to her but almost the valley itself, ears pressed flat against his head.

Jay was silent, looking out over the white valley. He would talk when he was ready, she had a feeling there were some painful memories connected with the fundamental change in the StarReaders' existence. "It looks like it is going to snow again," she observed quietly, thick gray clouds were blocking the evening light and the shadows seemed to fall around them all at once.

"Let's go back," she mewed firmly, looking at Dusk Howl's forlorn expression. He nodded in agreement and she led the way back, a few snowflakes drifting down between the small gaps of pine branches. The cats at the camp would be cooled off and she would apologize and they would apologize and all would be forgiven. Of that she was sure.

It snowed all night and all the next day, dropping several tail-lengths of snow in the valley and effectively trapping the cats in the ravine. But in the ravine there was a suitable amount of snow, mostly just a few thick piles where the snow had broken a tree branch and sent an avalanche falling down. Now all they had to do was survive the leaf-bare together; Jay and Ash were not looking forward to it.


	40. Formless Enemy

"You want your tail to remain completely still, if it touches something, even if it's only a blade of grass, it can alert your prey," Jay instructed, displaying the proper hunter's crouch. "You want to get as close as you can without it seeing you," she continued, stalking silently up in the shadow of a tree, "And then leap." With that she made an impressive jump and landed on the back of a furious orange tom.

"Keep me out of your silly lessons!" Ash spat, wriggling beneath her as she let him up and pawed a bit of snow off his pelt.

"That was great!" "Hurray!" "You caught an Ash!" "I'm going to catch him next!"

Jay chuckled as the hoard of kits peered at the two of them from the shadows, their eyes glittering brightly in the dim light. "They look like a bunch of rats," she purred.

"What are rats?" Ash asked in a tired tone, smoothing out his back fur that she'd ruffled.

"They're kind of like you," Jay mewed, looking Ash up and down slowly.

His ears pinned flat against his head, "Then I don't see how you can compare the kits to them."

"Lighten up, you're not doing anything right now, why not let the kits practice hunting?" Jay mewed easily, though in reality she was as cross as Ash was. Since the snow had filled the mountain trail out of the stone valley, they had been unable to have any communication with the main valley. Plus the two of them were constantly getting on each others last nerve.

"I have better things to do than play dead rabbit," he scowled, getting up and stalking away.

"Aww..." the kits spoke in unison and Jay saw Ash pause, glancing back at his three kits, the smallest kits with the biggest eyes, and he sighed.

"I guess I can help for a little bit," he grumbled, turning back toward them. The kits hurrayed and launched themselves at him, showing their affection for him by pulling at his fur and playfully biting him.

"Mom?" Jay looked down at Ice, "Is Dusk Howl going to join us?"

Jay blinked uncomfortably, in the moon and a half since the tom had joined the group she had been aware that he and Ice had shared several long conversations. However, she never got close enough to learn what they were about. "He's hunting for Crow right now, he may join us later on though," she answered and Ice's green eyes gleamed in pleasure as her tail curled over her back.

"Alright!" the kit mewed cheerfully, rejoining Hail with a cuff to his ears and jumping away before he could retaliate. Jay frowned as she saw she was missing a kit. Eagle had initially been with them at the start, but now he was no longer among the kits.

A twinge of regret shot through her, the event that occurred when she brought Adder and Dusk Howl to the group hadn't been forgotten as easily as she'd hoped. She had apologized upon her return to the camp and her kits and Midnight's had forgiven her immediately and Crow had come around a little while later. Ash didn't care and Adder had told her, "It's forgotten."

Silver, Thunderstorm, and Eagle were a different story. Thunderstorm had seemed to accept it after a moon, but he was even more abrupt with her than before. Eagle had returned to sleeping with her and the other kits soon after that, but he still avoided talking to her and when she played with the kits he went off to join his brother.

Silver was the most difficult, she never mentioned it and never seemed angry with her. But she was never friendly with her either. It was like when she had first taken in the pale she-cat all over again. Short words only when necessary, not exactly avoidance, but always a convenient distance between them that prevented any conversation. If she had been close to considering Silver a friend, that thought was far away now.

"You call that hunting? You couldn't catch a blind mouse like that!" Ash's mocking voice revived Jay to the present and she saw the orange tom engaged with correcting Panther's too tense hunter's crouch.

The black she-kit shrunk away from her father, gray eyes alight with fright. "Here darling, just relax and let your muscles move naturally," Jay soothed, gently amending the kit's position with her tail, shooing Ash away with a glare.

Panther looked at her in relief and nodded her tiny head, concentrating as she relaxed her muscles, creeping forward like slow-moving shadow. Jay nodded in approval, "Keep going," she encouraged.

Ash grumbled, "Looks like an abnormal bug." Jay felt heat rise to her chest but she ignored him, beginning to instruct Hail and Ice on how to hunt as a team.

"One of you will circle behind it like so," she mewed, circling around Ash, "And when you're in position you'll send a signal and the other cat will scare the prey toward you."

"Like this?" Ice asked, jumping at Ash with a ferocious hiss. The orange tom glared at the kit and revealed his teeth, but Jay leaped on his back and tussled him to the ground before he could say anything.

"Just like that," she mewed, nodding approvingly at Ice who looked so satisfied that Hail had to bat at her ears.

"Can we try that?" Breeze asked, jumping around her brother, Rusty.

"Of course not, that's too advanced for little kits like yourselves," Ash grumbled.

"We can hunt!" Breeze argued, looking up at her father with longing and despair.

"Have you ever caught anything?"

"N-no..."

"Then you can't hunt," Ash snorted, turning away.

Jay glared at him, seeing that Breeze was trembling as she bravely faced her father. "You can leave if you aren't going to do anything but criticize," she growled.

"You were the one that told me to stay," he snapped, glaring at her. He didn't look as angry as he sounded, his irritation seemed to be a cover for how uncomfortable he was.

"Keep practicing, kits," Jay ordered, leading Ash away from the six younger cats. "What are you trying to do? Mortify your kits until they're too scared to talk to you?" she hissed when they were out of ear-shot.

Ash's hackles rose, "You're too soft on them! How old are your kits? Six moons? Seven moons? If they were living under the Ivy Cat rules they'd be half-way to being a hunter or fight by now! And Midnight's kits are only a moon younger, they're practically helpless rabbits when they should be at least mediocre weasels!"

"I can't teach seven kits as quickly as I could one. If you are willing to be a sensible mentor I'd love to have you help out, but I nearly had to drag you into it just now and you didn't help them at all," Jay growled angrily.

"Like you really want me teaching your kits anything," Ash sneered, "This is the first time you've ever even invited me closer than three tail-lengths to the kits."

"I never tried to keep you away either," Jay shot back, "You've spent most of this past moon out on your own, ignoring your kits when they try to play or talk to you. You're their only family left, they want to know you and I wouldn't try to get in between that."

"They're not my kits!" Ash hissed, an old annoyance being sparked up again. "You just insist that they are without any proof."

"I don't need to look any further than Panther to get my proof!" Jay spat back. "But that's not the point, you need to stop ignoring your kits and bringing them down. You're hurting them too much for me to not say anything, before you know it they're going to end up hating you and if your own kits hate you, no one will want you ever again."

Ash flinched away from her and his eyes darkened, "Good."

* * *

"He hasn't talked to you since?" Adder asked as they ate dinner together. Three days following her heated conversation with Ash and he was avoiding her more than usual.

Jay's tail twitched in irritation, it was colder today than it had been all leaf-bare, she could barely keep from shivering, and her meal had only been a stringy mouse. She wasn't in a mood to think about things clearly but she was most annoyed that Ash had refused to help with the kits at all and wasn't even hunting for any cat other than himself. What did he think, she just magically would be able to catch enough food for all the kits?

"He's a waste of space here if he can't help anyone but himself," she muttered angrily, looking down to her left at the clean-picked bones. Her stomach rumbled hungrily in complaint.

"Still hungry?" the young yellow tom asked and she nodded slowly, it was too late to go out hunting again since it was too cold for prey to be out and the kits would want to go to sleep soon anyways.

"I'll go hunting again tomorrow morning, we don't have any left over for breakfast tomorrow," she grumbled, pulling her paws closer to her and shivering as she laid on the cold, stiff pine needles.

"Do you think the kits can start hunting? I was already on my own at their age," Adder mewed.

Jay shifted uncomfortably, "I think Eagle and my kits are at the point where they'll benefit more from actual experience, but I don't like the thought of them going off on their own," she murmured, tail twitching nervously. The thought that they could be attacked by some animal or injured while out all alone made her uneasy.

"If you don't give them permission they're going to go without it. You're not that old, surely you member what it was like?" Adder suggested, brown eyes pointed.

Jay's tail twitched, of course she remembered all her exploits, but that had been in a secure territory during the most gentle seasons, not in a relatively unknown area during the harshest. "Those two are getting along famously," she commented, changing the subject as she nodded toward Silver and Thunderstorm who were grooming each others' pelts.

Adder glanced towards them and shrugged, "They're almost always together. I thought they were mates when I first saw them."

Jay glanced at him in surprise, "I would doubt if they develop that sort of relationship," she muttered, "It's more like they have a mutual dislike about being here."

"Your group is surprisingly dysfunctional," Adder muttered in disappointment. Jay glanced at him, this wasn't the first time he'd shown discontent at how poorly the cats got along with each other.

"I didn't form it planning to take down the StarReaders, I just kept taking in cats that needed help and they stuck around," Jay defended herself. "You and Dusk Howl were the first cats that joined for the purpose of defeating the StarReaders."

Adder shrugged, dropping his gaze, "How soon do you think we can defeat the StarReaders?"

Jay sat up, using a back paw to scratch behind her ear, closing her eyes as she thought, "Hard to say... If we could use the leaf-bare to train and if Amelia is doing her job, we could probably strike as soon as the snow melts. But that's assuming nothing disturbs us."

"What would disturb us out here? And why aren't we training right now then?" Adder demanded, getting to his paws and kneading the pine needles anxiously, making a crinkling sound.

Jay yawned, "I'm always busy watching the kits or hunting. As soon as the kits will be able to start fending for themselves, as you pointed out earlier, both burdens will be alleviated. Then we can start training, as long as everything goes smoothly," she added in a mutter.

"Please answer me, what are you so worried about happening? Is there something out here? Is that why you don't want to give your kits more freedom?" Adder demanded, brown eyes alarmed.

Jay's fur started prickling, "I wonder," she muttered, gaze sliding away to the shadows. "I haven't seen a hint of any predators and the pine tree covering is so thick it's difficult for any eagles or hawks to get here. It's almost too safe."

Adder looked confused but she didn't elaborate on her thoughts, after all, it was only a gut feeling, nothing founded on proof. "I'm going to gather up the kits," she mewed as she walked away. Passing by Silver and Thunderstorm the two gray cats paused their grooming and waited with narrowed eyes as she passed by. How strange it was to be treated with such coldness in her own home by the cats whose lives she'd saved and bellies she fed.

Crow had taken the kits a little ways from camp to allow them to play without disturbing the older cats' meals and Jay found them tumbling around a pile of snow that had fallen from the tree tops. "I'm ruler of the snow hill!" Flint cried, standing at the top of the packed down mound.

"No, I am!" Ice yowled, launching herself up the steep pile of snow, but her paws slipped on the slick snow and she fell on her belly. Eagle snickered as she slid back down with her four legs splayed out, he poked at the gray kit as she puffed out her cheeks. Breeze and Rusty were trying to knock Flint off by throwing pawfulls of soft, fluffy snow at him. But the sleek gray kit ducked and dodged with ease, shaking his head as a snowball fell apart and showered him with a mist of snow.

"Alright, alright kits," Jay chided, looking up at Flint who, at the top of the snow mound, was about a tail-length above her head. "It's getting late, time to go to sleep," she mewed, rounding up the kits at the bottom of the snow pile.

"Aw, just a little longer, please?" Breeze whined, looking at her with pleading eyes, "We have to defeat the evil lord, Flint!"

Jay purred and angled her ears over to Crow, "I don't think a few of you have enough energy to take him today," she mewed. Hail and Panther had already fallen asleep on Crow's flank and the black tom was dozing.

Jay walked over to the three sleepy cats, "Come on, you'll be more comfortable sleeping in a nice warm den," she mewed, picking up the two sleeping kits and setting them on their paws as they stumbled and tried to open their eyes.

Once they were tiredly trudging with their more energetic peers toward the camp, Jay poked Crow, "You too old timer," he groaned and she looked at him closer, sniffing his typically matted pelt. She stiffened as she got closer to the tom, his breathing was rough and even though his paws and ears were frozen, heat radiated from him. When did he get sick? She wondered in alarm, he had seemed fine that morning, but he hadn't been able to eat anything at sun-high...

"Crow, you can get up, can't you?" she asked worriedly, her heart starting to beat faster as he only groaned in his sleep as she kept poking him. Slowly his two yellow eyes opened and he looked at her, mouth open slightly as he panted, and didn't say a word.

"Let's get you back to camp," Jay mewed, putting her shoulder beneath him to lift him to his paws. She noticed he was lighter than she thought he would be for his size and realized beneath his matted tangle of black fur, he was actually much thinner than he should be.

Since he remained practically unconscious she carried him to camp on her back, stumbling through the snow. Silver and Adder met her as she approached camp, "What happened to Crow?" Silver demanded, eyes wide as she looked at the black tom. Adder was looking at the elder who was slung on her back like a piece of prey with incredulity.

"Relax," Jay soothed, seeing that Flint, Eagle, and Ice were still outside of the den and were looking nervously in their direction. She gave a sigh of relief as Dusk Howl realized what was happening and swept the kits to the den, murmuring words too quiet for her to hear.

Attention returned to the two cats in front of her she waved her tail, "He's got a fever and I think he hasn't been able to eat much lately. All he needs is rest and quiet, no need to worry," she mewed cheerfully, "Every cat gets a cold or two in leaf-bare, it happens," she added as she saw how scared Silver looked.

The tabby held her gaze for a moment, a deep fear in her depths. It didn't seem her light tone had convinced Silver but Adder nodded in contentment. "Is there anything I can do to help?" the young yellow tom offered.

Jay nodded in appreciation, padding slowly toward the den, "If you could find more moss and feathers to line his nest, and also soak some moss so that he can drink easily, that would be great. Silver, could you let Thunderstorm know what's happening? I don't want him getting worried," she added as she saw the blind tom pacing at the opposite edge of the clearing, ears pricked in their direction.

"Okay," the tabby nodded, "What about Ash?"

Jay rolled her eyes, "I don't know where he is right now and I'm sure he'll figure it out on his own," she mewed, the last thing she wanted was for him to have another reason for thinking she was not a good mother or leader. Ducking into the dim den she had to push away the curious kits and stalked to the furthest right corner where Crow's nest was located and slid him off her back.

He collapsed limply with his breathing even more laborious than before. She worriedly settled him into a comfortable position with his head propped up to help keep his breathing clear. "Is Crow going to be alright?" Flint asked nervously, coming up and putting his paws on the side of Crow's nest.

"Of course he will be, it's just a little cold," Jay mewed reassuringly, but she quickly pushed her son away toward their own nest. She stepped carefully through the dark den, avoiding the overspilling nest of kits as she reached her paltry herb store and took out a generous dose of feverfew and a couple poppy seeds. Poppy seeds were the only medicine she had plenty of.

Her belly was fluttering as she returned to the old tom, she wasn't as skilled as her mother when it came to sickness and she didn't have much experience treating even minor illnesses. In fact, she was sure the only thing she was experienced with was infection, courtesy of Silver. Was this just a common cold that was hitting him harder than usual because he was old? Or was it more serious? He wasn't coughing, but if his breathing didn't improve it wouldn't be long before he would be gasping for air.

"I need you to eat this," she mewed, gently prying his jaws open and helping him chew and swallow all the leaves. He was almost completely unresponsive and although he was able to fix his eyes on her, she had the sensation of staring into the eyes of a corpse. As she gave him the poppy seeds Adder returned laden with moss, both dry and wet.

She thanked him and started stuffing the dry nest around the elderly tom to give him extra padding from the cold and placed the cold, wet moss by his muzzle. Adder retired to his nest and Jay realized that every other cat was in the den as well, every cat but Ash.

Jay looked down as the sleeping elder, his breathing was still rough and the feverfew didn't seem to have helped him at all as he continued radiating heat while shivering, maybe I can try borage next, she thought. Stepping toward the nest of kits she saw that Dusk Howl had fallen asleep with them, Ice curled close to his head with a peaceful look on her face.

Jay returned to Crow, curling down on the hard ground just outside of his nest with her ears pricked to listen for any change in his breathing. She'd played it down earlier, but Crow was really sick. He was an elder and he was half-starved, even a minor sickness like this could take him.

And what about the kits? He'd been contagious when he took the kits out this evening, and they weren't much stronger than he was. In the Clans the medicine-cat had a separate den to help prevent the sickness from spreading, but they only had the one den. Would every cat get sick? And if so, would she have enough herbs to help them all? Would there be enough cats to hunt for them? Or were they doomed to die from sickness before even starting to help the captive StarReaders?

Closing her eyes tight she curled into a smaller ball. Were these the kind of worries that had plagued her father? Was this what a leader was? It was worse than she'd imagined, fear of a formless enemy haunted her mind not for her own sake, but for the sake of all those around her.

Only the steady, rough breathing of Crow resounding in her ears kept her calm until the morning's pale glow of hope.


	41. Frozen Fever

_No change so far,_ Jay chewed on a withered elderberry leaf, frowning as she stared down at the sleeping figure of Crow. Two days has passed and the tom hadn't improved at all, at the same time, he hadn't seemed to have gotten worse.

He was having trouble breathing, but he wasn't coughing. He had a fever and aches, but his nose wasn't running. He wasn't throwing up, but he had no appetite. What did he have? Was there a cure? Feverfew, borage, tasny, and watermint had done nothing for him. The only thing she could give was poppy seeds to let him sleep more easily, but what if this wasn't something he could get over on his own? If he didn't start eating again, he would starve to death without even being hungry.

More snow had fallen, making it more difficult to find prey, and since she was so often taking care of Crow, the cats were going hungry. Adder, Silver, and Dusk Howl were busy trying to train the kits and hunt for every cat. She had decided that she would have to send out the oldest four kits to start hunting, but she would only do that if they were accompanied with an older cat. Better do that now before I mix up his next batch of medicine, she decided, exiting the den and looking around for the cats.

It was early dawn, so no cat should be outside of camp yet except for Ash, since he was always gone. "How's he doing?" a voice asked her, she glanced upward to spy the orange tom sitting in the branches of one of the pine trees.

"He's still alive," she responded slowly and as she watched him, he had spoken to her once to ask what sickness Crow had, so this was the second time since their argument. "I actually need a favor from you," she mewed, watching him stand up on the slender branch and arch his back, his pelt a burnt orange in the shadow.

Ash flattened his ears, "I thought I made it clear I don't hand out favors."

"Fine, it isn't a favor, it's an order," Jay mewed, walking toward him. "I'm sending the older kits out to hunt with the older cats, so I need you to watch your kits. I don't care if you want to play with them or train them, but for StarClan's sake be fatherly about it," she added in a hiss.

Ash hissed back, "I'm not their father."

"Then pretend! You're good at that, aren't you? I would watch them, but I have to take care of Crow and go hunting with at least one of the kits. And no, I won't trust you with that job," she cut him off as he opened his mouth.

Ash growled and shook his head, "Only for a little while, I don't have time to stand over a bunch of kits all day. But I will take this opportunity to actually teach them something," he added with a sneer.

Jay rolled her eyes and ignored him, looking for the others. She found the kits playing capture the stick, a game she had shown them moons again. Jay purred as Ice tried to grab the stick that Eagle was protecting but the bigger kit shoved her away into a pile of snow. She came out again green eyes blazing and snowflakes stuck to her whiskers.

"Kits, can you pause your game for a moment?" she asked and the kits reluctantly trotted up to her, Eagle hanging around the back. "Hail, Ice, Flint, and Eagle," she mewed, "The four of you will go out hunting today for real." The kits looked at each other excitedly, "Each of you will go with one older cat, so that you aren't left on your own."

"What about us?" Breeze whined, "I want to hunt too!"

Jay purred and flicked her ears lightly with her tail, "Patience, you are still a little young to go out hunting in these conditions. Instead, your father is going to give you some training and spend some time with the three of you."

Breeze looked at her with wide eyes, but didn't complain. Rusty whispered something in Panther's ear and the black she-kit shook her head until her ears flopped, gray eyes shut tightly. "Ah, there's Silver, wait here for a moment," she mewed, darting toward the pale tabby who was leading Thunderstorm for their morning walk, the tom was dragging his paws as the light tabby strode forward, forcing him along.

"Silver!" she hailed the tabby and the she-cat looked up in alarm.

"Is Crow okay?" the tabby demanded.

Jay nodded quickly, "Yes, yes, he hasn't gotten worse. But I want to ask a favor of you."

"Let me guess," Silver sighed, "Every time you ask me that, you want me to watch the kits?"

Jay smirked, "It's like you can actually anticipate things now. But this favor is a little different. I'm sending out the four oldest kits hunting today, but I want them to each go with one older cat. So, take your pick," she mewed, waving her tail at the kits.

"I'm busy taking care of this lump of fur," Silver mewed, wrapping her tail around the long-legged gray tom behind her who hissed at being called a lump of fur and couldn't see Silver's affectionate glance.

"Then it's settled, you'll take Eagle," Jay decided, turning away.

"Hey!" Silver mewed angrily, "Didn't you hear me? What about Thunderstorm?!"

"Take him with you!" Jay answered back. "Okay, Eagle, you're going with Silver and Thunderstorm," the little red-brown and white tom high-tailed it over to the two gray cats before the words were even all out of her mouth.

"Can I hunt with Dusk Howl?" Ice asked, looking up at her with pleading green eyes.

Jay shook her head, "I think that you can go hunting with me."

"But you're going to spend half the day taking care of Crow!" Ice argued angrily.

"Then you can catch up on some sleep," Jay responded coolly, but she was shocked that her daughter had taken such a hostile tone with her.

"I don't need to rest! Hail does, he can barely keep awake," Ice mewed, pointing her tail viciously at her brother whose head was slumped against his chest.

Jay glanced once and then looked at her son in alarm, he had gotten a good night's sleep like all the other kits, so why did it look like he had been up all night? "He's been sulking too much, he didn't even eat anything last night!" Ice complained, "Maybe he shouldn't go hunting at all."

"Maybe," Jay whispered, walking over to Hail and putting her nose down by his muzzle. Hail looked up at her with heavy green eyes, his breath coming in swift pants and he looked so dazed that he probably didn't even know what she had been saying.

"So can I go hunting with Dusk Howl?" Ice asked again.

"Yes, go ahead. Flint, you can go hunting with Adder. Other kits, go find Ash," she mewed, blocking their view of Hail with her body until they'd scattered. Then she picked up her son and carried him over to the den. He didn't have a high fever yet, but she could feel him shivering against her and the unnatural heat that came from him.

Taking some moss that she'd put in a pile to change out Crow's nest later, she formed a small, comfortable nest for her son and set him in it. Hail immediately curled down and closed her eyes but she tapped him, "Don't go to sleep yet, sweety," she whispered, taking some more feverfew and an elderberry leaf, hoping it would be more effective on him than it was on Crow.

Gently coaxing him to swallow the bitter herbs she lulled him to sleep with a melodic purr, staying with him until his breathing settled into rhythm and she dozed with him for awhile, paying close attention to their breathing as she rested her eyes. "Jay, where are you?" she started at the call and with a quick glance to make sure that Crow and Hail hadn't been disturbed by the voice, got up and left the den, hastily pushing her herbs in a pile to put them away later.

"Yes?" she asked in annoyance, narrowing her eyes at Dusk Howl, "Weren't you supposed to take Ice out hunting?"

The brown tabby nodded, "Yes, I already did, and she did very well. She was able to catch a shrew on her first try, it was very impressive."

Jay flicked her tail happily and looked across the clearing at her gray daughter, giving the kit an approving nod which was answered with an embarrassed chest lick. "But that isn't why I called you," Dusk Howl mewed, recalling her attention back. "I met Silver and Eagle on the way back. They said that Thunderstorm had suddenly collapsed," the tom continued in the same light tone as before, but Jay's belly was churning. Another sick cat? This was getting scary, surely Thunderstorm had just been unused to the amount of exercise, or maybe he had fallen and hit his head. Jay would prefer a physical injury at this point.

"What should I do?" Dusk Howl asked, his gray eyes were calm and willing, ready to do whatever she might ask. Although she found his complete sense of calmness a little alarming, she appreciated that he could keep his head as his fellow Den-mates fell ill one after the other.

"Go help Silver bring Thunderstorm back, I'll have Ice help me prepare his nest," Jay ordered, calling to her daughter who came swiftly as she entered the den.

"What is it?" Ice asked eagerly, looking up at her with shiny green eyes.

"Could you please go collect some moss?" Jay asked. Ice's green eyes dimmed and she nodded her small head, whisking out of sight without another word. Jay focused on clearing more space beside the other two sick cats. She saw her herbs that she'd left out and gathered them up, putting them away.

 _I have so little...If another cat gets sick... or another cat after that... will I have to choose who lives or dies by deciding who I give the herbs to?_ A wave of nausea came over her at the thought of choosing between who died and who lived. _I'd rather die myself then choose between these cats of mine._

* * *

Jay wished and hoped and prayed that no more cats would get sick, but by the end of the moon Breeze, Rusty, and Flint had fallen ill. Luckily, since Adder, Dusk Howl, and Silver remained healthy they were still able to feed every cat. But Jay's herbs were almost out and she still hadn't found a cure.

"Can't you find a new herb to help them?" Silver asked, she looked tired and strained, they all did, hunting and looking over sick cats all day long. Panther and Ice were asleep at Jay's belly, and Eagle was snuggled up against Silver, they were the only three kits still healthy. The other cats that weren't sick- except Ash- sat in a small circle as they finished their evening meal.

"It's the middle of leaf-bare, there are no herbs even if I did know what to look for," Jay sighed in defeat.

"Will they recover?" Adder asked quietly after a stretch of silence.

Jay closed her eyes, "Crow's on the brink of death, and so is-" her voice choked for a moment and she had to swallow hard, "So is Hail," she finished quietly.

The cats were silent again and Jay just closed her eyes, trying to think what she would do if she had to bury her perfect little son in the snow. "What about the others?" Dusk Howl asked.

"They might be able to pull through without herbs, but they're going to be incredibly weak, and they haven't shown much sign of improvement. Thunderstorm is doing the best, he was able to eat a little bit yesterday, but then he slept all day. I just don't know," she said, shaking her head and trying not to get choked up.

It was unfair, it was stupid, it was so, so, so terrifying. She couldn't go out and kill a disease like she could a fox, the feeling of helplessness was overwhelming. The threat was not a physical one that she could face, but more of a flitting shadow that she could feel but not catch, haunting with its menace and detached with its particularity.

"I think we should all go to sleep, we have a lot of work to do tomorrow," Dusk Howl advised, standing up and shaking the pine needles from his fur. Adder nodded and briskly headed to the den. Jay watched quietly as Silver got up, reaching out with her tail before halting herself, sadness in her eyes as she plodded off to the den with Eagle.

The dark gray she-cat sighed heavily, the silence of the pines and the cold melancholy of the air matched the intricate gray shadows that swamped the area. Gently she picked up the two kits that slept at her belly, carrying them to the den and shuffling past the sick cats to where the healthy ones lay, putting them down between Silver and Dusk Howl before heading back over to the sick cats.

Their breathing was rough but steady, yet it twisted her heart to see Hail, his soft kit fur hanging limply off his skin. He should be bouncing around, a little ball of fluff like any other kit, not stuck in this dark den struggling to breathe. And not just him, but Flint and the others as well.

A wave of tiredness came over her and she laid down between Hail and Crow, ears pricked for sounds of abnormality. Although she didn't mean to fall into a deep sleep, she must have for the next thing she knew she was being roughly shaken awake and when she opened her eyes there was nothing but darkness.

"Jay! Jay! Are you awake?!" the hyper whisper boggled her groggy mind for a moment before she realized it was Silver who had a paw on her shoulder.

"What is it?" she asked, yawning as she lifted her head. "Is it one of the kits?!" she asked, jumping to her paws as she worriedly checked the sick kits, but they were all sleeping soundly, if not uncomfortably. Crow and Thunderstorm were alright too.

"Yes, but not one of the sick ones," Silver mewed, her voice was terse, "Ice is gone."

"What?" Jay mewed, not understanding, "She's right over here," she mewed, striding over to where she had laid down her daughter that evening. But when she reached it she found only Panther and Eagle curled up at Dusk Howl's snoring side.

"When I woke up to check on Thunderstorm, she was gone, I don't know where she went," Silver whispered, waiting for Jay to respond. But Jay could only stare into the blackness, she wanted to run and find her daughter that moment, but she didn't know where to go. Her mind was drawing a blank, there was no sign of an intruder and Ice had never given any hint of wandering off on her own. And Dusk Howl was here, so he hadn't taken her away.

"What are you two whispering about? It's the middle of the night?" a surprising voice knocked at Jay's mind.

"Ash?" she asked, looking in the direction the voice had come from.

"No, its your mother. Of course its me," Ash mewed snarkily. "Can't you two be quiet?"

"Ice has gone missing," Silver answered calmly.

"Then go find her, and do it quietly," he snapped back, his voice growing muffled as if he'd laid his head down again.

The annoyance Jay felt at his words was enough to break free of the cold gripping her and she marched over to his nest, "Thank you for volunteering, you'll be coming with me to look for her."

"Take Silver," Ash growled.

"She'll be watching the sick cats, you have to come with me," she mewed, digging her claws into his fur and dragging him from his nest.

"Are you kidding, its freezing out," he kicked at her, trying to get free, but Jay flung him out into the snow, her anger giving her added strength. "And its snowing!" he called from somewhere outside of the den, his voice muffled by what was probably a mouthful of snow.

"Then we better hurry," Jay answered, stepping out of the den herself to be greeted by a cold wind and flurries that had managed to float down where the oak tree left an opening to the sky. Taking a few deep breaths to steady her pounding heart, she sniffed the air, searching for hints as to where and why Ice was missing.

No foreign scents, so she wasn't stolen. _Not that I think something could actually get into a den of cats without waking one of them. Maybe she just went to make her dirt or something, no need to get hysterical,_ she rationalized, circling around until she found a faint trail that was already almost killed by frost.

"Ash, this way," she called, following the trail that led deeper into the ravine.

"What is that stupid kit thinking?" Ash grumbled, "I can't even see a whisker in front of my face, and it's frigid and snowing."

"We'll find out when we find her," Jay responded, walking swiftly through the snow, using her whiskers to guide her in the dark.

After walking a bit in silence Ash stopped suddenly besides her, "Did you hear that?" he whispered.

Jay pricked her ears, but all she heard was the ringing darkness, "No."

"Come on, this way," Ash mewed, breaking away from the scent trail. Jay hesitated, was he just trying to distract her? Or maybe something else? Dark suspicion wrapped around her, Ash hadn't been in the den when she went asleep so he had arrived sometime between when she fell asleep and when Silver woke her up, which was also the time period that Ice had gone missing. _Surely he hasn't been planning something behind my back?_

She had to remind herself that this was the same cat that had used her kits as hostages, betrayed the valley to the StarReaders, and tried to abandon his own kits. _He was capable of far worse things than playing a trick on her. I swear, if Ice is hurt, I will kill him_ , she seethed, decidedly following the scent trail and ignoring the orange tom.

But before long the scent trail evaporated right before her and without any light she couldn't find any plausible terrain that would have caused it to disappear. _Great, now I'm alone in the dark with no leads, StarClan, what are you doing to me?_

Frustration built up in her as she imagined Ice stuck in some pile of snow, calling for help as she slowly froze. _I need to find her now!_ Retracing her steps, she sniffed around with her muzzle in the snow, trying to find where she went wrong.

"Jay!" Ash's angry voice made her jump and she looked around, trying to pinpoint him. "What are you doing? I found Ice, now get over here!"

Not bothering to question the tom, she followed the direction of his voice, her heartbeat picking up as she recognized a much fresher scent of Ice. "Is she okay?" she gasped as she reached Ash, looking around for her daughter.

"She's asleep, but she's breathing," Ash answered, shifting to the side and Jay felt her paws brush against Ice's soft fur. Oh, thank StarClan. She snatched up her kit and held her against her chest, breathing on her and rubbing her cold body with her paws. "What is that smell?" Jay asked sharply, a distinctly green scent pierced the cold air.

"Mum..." Ice mumbled.

"Yes? What is it?" Jay whispered hoarsely, choked up with relief as she tried to completely cover Ice's frozen body with her body heat.

"I found herbs... to help... Hail... get better," Ice panted, taking deep breaths between words.

Jay exchanged a glance with Ash, just the gleam of his eyes visible. "Pick them up and bring them back to the den," she instructed him, taking her daughter and hurrying away ahead of him. Her head was spinning, Ice would be okay as soon as she got warm, but not all of her questions were answered. Where had these herbs come from, had Ice left the den specifically to find them? How would she have known anything about herbs, or even where to find them? They rarely went this far to hunt.

Jay shivered, something about this was painfully reminiscent of what her brother had done once. Oh Stars, don't take my daughter away from me. Don't force a destiny upon her, such a weight would surely crush her. Closing her eyes, she hoped that the stars heard her, but the snow only continued to fall more heavily upon the ravine.

* * *

The herbs, whatever they were, did work. Jay didn't recognize them and didn't know what their name was. She looked for more, but only the ones that they'd found by Ice could be found. Ice didn't seem to remember much besides going out at night and finding some strange herbs. Not that anyone much cared, since they were too happy to see all the sick cats recover almost miraculously in a few days. Even Crow's sickness cleared up, though he was so weak that he stayed in his nest and slept most days.

The danger of the sickness was gone now and the cats were able to focus with more energy and vigor on training to defeat the StarReaders. But Jay could feel that in the half moon following the finding of the herbs that she alone was getting weaker and weaker.

At first she attributed it to not sleeping much at all while monitoring the sick cats on this strange herb, as she had been carefully watching for strange side-effects. And then she wasn't eating much at all since as the sick cats got better, their appetite came back and made the already thin prey pile diminish even more. But the painful headaches and burning throat didn't disappear as the burdens were slowly alleviated.

It didn't seem to be the same sickness as the other cats had, for she was coughing a lot more and the herbs did help her keep it in check for a long time. She also tried to hide it for a while after she realized it was a sickness, but after a quarter moon she could barely keep up the act and Silver began to wise up.

"Is it a bad sickness?" the gray tabby asked worriedly, she had softened up to her again after Thunderstorm had recovered, and it seemed all bad feelings were behind them

Jay shrugged, stifling a cough and swaying on her paws. She was so tired, it was too much effort just to lift her head. "I don't know, but I used up all my herbs healing the other cats, I can't do anything but rest," she choked.

"Then go rest! I can take over the training, you just focus on getting better," Silver mewed, starting to lead her toward the den, but Jay balked.

"If this is a different sickness, you all could get sick again. I don't want that."

Silver blinked in confusion, "What are you going to do?"

"I'll go stay at the StarReaders old den, it'll probably pass in a few days," Jay mewed, but that was a lie. It was a slow sickness that had been eating at her for a whole moon, it wouldn't disappear over night. She was too exhausted to fight it but she couldn't put her kits at risk again. They could hunt and they were slowly learning how to fight, although she didn't want to leave Ice when she still didn't know what had happened a moon ago, this was a necessary precaution.

"But you won't have any bedding or food!" Silver objected.

Jay shook her head, stifling a cough, "I can still take care of myself. Tell the others for me."

Silver's eyes widened, "You're going now?"

Jay nodded, turning away and forcing herself to walk tall out of the clearing, her vision was blurring and she barely made it to the shadows before she had to slump against a tree, breath gurgling in her throat as she tried to muffle her coughs. Was she going to die? She had never been this sick before. But her tired brain couldn't even process what might happen, all she knew was she had to get to the StarReader's den and sleep for a very long time. Everything would be alright, that's right, it would be fine once she got to sleep far away from worry that her breath was like a monster threatening her kits...

The trip there was long and she hoped that Silver was taking her time telling the others, otherwise they might come to stop her and she didn't have the strength to protest. But even if this didn't kill her, if it killed one of her kits instead, that would destroy her. That was the one thing she couldn't let happen.

She could see the light getting brighter up ahead, which signaled the end of the tree-line. Stumbling forward she took a deep breath and looked out across the white expanse before her. Her legs trembled and her mind felt like it was caving in on itself.

Just a little further. She took a step but her paw hit nothing and her eyes closed, open to nothing but blank whiteness. She just needed to sleep a little longer.


	42. Hazy Memories

She was in a white place. A cold, white place. Her mind was blank for a long time, unconscious yet not asleep. When did it change? It seemed like it was a slow, gradual change. The light changed from white to gray and from gray to black.

It was still cold but it wasn't so numbing. She didn't like that. The throbbing in her head was anguish and to breathe was like swallowing thorns. Her stomach was twisted and her breath came in harsh pants as if she had just run a long, long way.

Gradually she became aware of what was around her, a prickly moss nest beneath her, drafty walls around her- probably stone by their scent. But even with the concrete feeling of something beneath her, the dizziness in her head made her feel like she was spinning around and around on an icy surface.

There was also a voice and a brief warm pressure around her, she could feel her head being lifted and her mouth being opened. She was prepared to gag on bitter herbs, as she was accustomed to when she was sick, but instead something warm and soft flowed down her throat, taking the sting away from the thorns. It was as gentle as new-leaf and as warm as green-leaf.

Jay purred, feeling the pain decrease slightly. It was still black and cold, but there was also a warmth and she latched onto that, falling into a real sleep this time.

* * *

She was disturbed a couple times by the pain, but as soon as she started withering in pain more of that gentle, warm feeling filled her throat and she fell asleep again. Her concept of time was shattered and after countless cycles of drifting close to the surface of wakefulness because of pain and falling back down to sleep because of the relief, she started feeling stronger, like she could reach the surface without the aid of pain.

Plus she was curious to know what was happening, for her mind trapped by fever and sleep could only conjecture so much about what was happening to her. She knew she was asleep, yet in this world of darkness, pain, and relief may as well be all that existed.

Finally she found herself ready to open her eyes. It took a few tries, as it seemed like she'd forgotten how, but eventually they slowly opened and the world of her mind disappeared and was forgotten as she returned to reality. Taking a few minutes to practice blinking and make sense of the foreign light and objects, she began to put things in their places.

 _I was right, it is a cave._ Dark gray walls encircled her, it was a small den with a very tiny opening that let in white light and cold air. The ceiling was low, but tall enough that she could have sat up without her ears quite touching the roof. Not that she was in any position to move at the moment.

She was aware of the sensation of laying on something prickle and she realized she was resting on old bedding that smelled of dust and decay. This must be one of the StarReaders' old dens. Naturally she began wondering how she had gotten here. She didn't remember much after leaving the camp, it was possible that she had gotten here before collapsing, but that didn't explain the footprints and snow that had been trekked in recently enough to not melt in the much warmer den.

She tried to breathe in the scents, but ended up in a coughing fit. She was still very ill. It seemed she was going to have to wait for the creature to return before finding out who it was. Coughing, she tried to shift her position but could barely roll on her other side and she realized that her bones were sticking out and that her pelt was limp and matted.

When was the last time I ate? A sudden wave of hunger and thirst rolled over her and she looked longingly at the snow at the entrance of the tunnel, if she could at least quench her thirst... She started wriggling forward, panting and coughing, her head reeling as she covered the tail-length between her and the snow.

With a sigh of relief she collapsed on her belly and plunged her muzzle into the cold, cold snow and took a bite of it. The cold hurt her head, but she eagerly took more bites as the snow melted into water. A wave of exhaustion hit her before she could get back to her nest and she fell asleep with her face in the snow.

* * *

She woke up the next morning, back in the nest and feeling better. The den was empty but a cold mouse was laid in front of her nest. Jay picked at it all morning, ravenous but still nauseous. She fell asleep again after sun-high, missing again whoever it was taking care of her.

She assumed it was Silver or one of the others who were coming to take care of her. But she wanted to be sure. It wasn't until three days after that, in the evening, when she finally found out who it was. She had been sound asleep, but she became aware that she was given another dose of that warm medicine and as her head was being tilted and she was being fed she slowly opened her eyes.

Gray eyes stared back into hers, amazement and relief reflected in them. Then they narrowed and became foggy. "Ash," she croaked, her voice was raspy and weak so that it surprised herself. But the orange tom didn't respond, laying her head down and taking away the leaf that had held the medicine he had been giving her.

Jay didn't say anything either, taking deep breaths as she licked her muzzle to get the last scraps of the sticky medicine. This was the only time when she could breathe clearly, right after being given the medicine and it felt like a huge weight was off her chest as she easily took deep breathes, enjoying the moment.

"What is that?" she asked, it was unlike anything she'd ever tasted. It didn't even really have a taste, but it was like it was full of sunshine and health.

"Honey," Ash answered shortly, not turning to look back at her.

Jay's ears flicked in surprise, "Where did you get honey?" The orange tom didn't answer, putting a few other stores of honey away on a shelf in the rock. The gray she-cat relaxed in her nest, she felt considerably better and she had her hopes that in a few days she'd have the strength to get up and walk around a little. Or at least the energy to give myself a good washing, he clearly hasn't been doing that.

Her pelt was matted and clumped, moss scraps, dirt, and drippings of honey made her pelt a sight to see. She also had a smell strong enough to bother even herself. But for now her legs were too weak to move and her head was made of stone, so she closed her eyes and sighed, returning to the darkness.

By the next day Jay was too antsy to not do anything and decided to wash her pelt, it was hard, lifting her head and twisting her neck and it exhausted her quickly. She had to take three naps to get her chest, belly, flanks, back, and tail. All that was left was her face and that's when Ash returned.

"You're awake again?" he asked, mumbling around a few pieces of prey

Jay just looked at him, blinking, not wishing to expend the energy needed to answer such a question. But she did find it important enough to ask a different question, "Are one of those for me?" she asked, looking at the prey. Her belly rumbled, even though her cough was still pretty bad, she was pretty hungry.

Ash snorted, dropping the smallest mouse she had ever seen in front of her. Not that she cared, it was still more than she could eat. She dug into it and managed to polish off most of it. "Hmm, you're eating more today, too," the orange tom narrowed his eyes at her as she laid back down, stifling her coughs as she tried to go back to sleep. "Aren't you going to finish your washing first? You look ridiculous with only your face left."

"Too tired," Jay murmured, too sleepy to take offense at his tone. With her breath rasping in her throat she felt her face being covered with warm, coarse licks and she fell asleep, thankful for the care.

* * *

"Why are you taking care of me?" Jay finally asked the question that had been bugging her a few days later. Ash had just given her some more honey and she felt well enough to sit up in her nest, though her legs trembled from the effort of supporting herself.

It was snowing heavily and a few snowflakes drifted in from the small entrance. The tom had his back to her, putting away the last dose of honey. He hadn't spoken much at all to her the entire time, only answering, "Six days," when she asked how long she had been asleep. But now she was well enough to ask and get answers.

"Well?" she pressed, staring at the back of his head until he turned around to look at her. His gray eyes were narrowed, with a very obvious, 'leave me alone,' look in them.

"The others were worried about you," he answered.

"You wouldn't care about that," she answered.

"My kits wouldn't leave me alone about you," he tried again.

"You could have pushed them off to Silver and gone off like you usually do. Why take the trouble of taking care of me for a quarter moon?"

"If you died everything would have been a waste of time, my time," he growled, turning away from her again.

"That's an excuse," Jay argued hotly, "Those were all excuses. You think I can't tell? You're more transparent than you think."

"If I'm so obvious then you should see that I'm tired of your nagging," Ash snapped. Although he was usually playful with his arguments, this time he looked seriously annoyed.

"I have a right to know why you're taking care of me," Jay shot back.

"Can't you just say 'thank you' like a normal cat?" Ash sighed, shoulders drooping.

"No. Now answer me!" Jay insisted, forcing herself to her paws and taking a wobbly step toward him. She let out a small sound of pain as her legs buckled and she scrunched her eyes, expecting to hit the cold stone floor. But Ash caught her, his shoulder sharp against her sunken stomach.

"Stay in your nest," he grumbled, helping her back to it, but she resisted.

"I won't stay here until you tell me!"

Ash growled, obviously fed up with her pestering him, "You're acting like a kit!" He pushed her down into her nest so that she fell on her back and placed a paw on her stomach, glaring down at her. "You're so smart, why do you think I'm helping you?"

Jay stared into his hazy gray eyes for a few moments, "At first I thought you wanted me to be indebted to you," she mewed.

"That could be," Ash smirked.

"But I don't think that's really it," Jay continued, trying to get up but being forced to stay down as Ash stood over her and placed another paw on her chest, keeping her pinned against the scratchy nest.

"Why not? There's no other reason I would help you. And I like cats to owe me one, makes my job easier when I have favors to capitalize on."

"But," Jay stared up at him, a hint of confusion misting her gaze, "I feel like you aren't enjoying this. Usually you'd be gleeful at the prospect at having me at a disadvantage, but... I feel like this is painful for you..."

Ash stared down at her for a long time, Jay could see a swirl of emotions in his gaze, but they were all masked by that haze of gray. Slowly he leaned down so that their muzzles were nearly touching, but he still didn't say anything, just kept staring. "I don't like to see cats sick," his answer was even more confusing as he continued staring at her.

Jay felt like she was caught up in his serious gaze, it was far less annoying than it usually was, it was almost entrancing. Perhaps the fever still lingered or it was the pressure on her chest that was making her light-headed, but she found herself saying something she never thought she would say to him. "Thank you, Ash."

The orange tom was taken aback and he instantly got off of her, moving away to the other side of the den, looking a little embarrassed as she rolled on her belly, watching him with amused eyes. "I've wanted to say that for awhile. Even though you've done some things I don't want to forgive, you've also done some things that I haven't wanted to acknowledge. You didn't have to help me rescue Midnight's kits, but you did. You didn't have to be there for them, but you have been. You didn't have to help me with any of this, but you did. And I don't understand why you're even here now, but I want to know," she signaled for him to come closer and he did, laying down on his belly so that they were eye-level.

"I want to know why you're here, and I want to understand why you did the things you did. I don't think you're evil, I've met evil before and you aren't it. Please tell me why," she repeated, almost pleading with her eyes wide open.

Ash stayed silent before raising his head, "I don't give out information for free. But I wouldn't mind exchanging information."

Jay tilted her head, "What do you mean?"

He stood up, checking the entrance to see the blizzard still going on, "You aren't the only one who's been wondering. Why did you come to the mountains? Why do you cling so stubbornly to these barren rocks? Why do you swear to live only for your kits and yourself and yet put your own life in danger for others? Why do you want to save the valley? Why do you do the things you do?"

Jay almost laughed, "I guess we're both enigmas."

Ash gave her a sly smile, "We could be. But I'll tell you everything if you swear to do the same for me."

Jay looked up at him, "When? Now?"

Ash shook his head, "Let's wait until you're a little stronger, I don't trust the information that would come out of a cat as weak as you." Ash mewed cockily, striding over towards her nest. "The snow's really coming down and its almost dark, I'll probably stay here for the night."

Jay tracked him with his eyes as he circled her nest and flicked her tail, "It isn't a very comfortable nest," she warned, shifting over for him to have some room. "Any my coughing will probably keep you up all night."

Ash chuckled, "Can't be much worse than your snoring, sharing a nest with you back in the fighters' cave was a nightmare."

Jay ignored the urge to smack him, in truth, she'd been lonely sleeping here alone, she'd missed the kits and the den back in the ravine. His warmth may not be her favorite, but it was still heavenly after being alone so much. She laid her head down by his and stared at his closed eyes and sleeping face as the light got darker and darker until she couldn't see him at all.

It was strange, the feelings in her were foreign. It wasn't the same she felt for her kits or even Coalspark, but it was thrilling and filled her with warmth as shivers went down her spine. Her coughing ruined the sensation and she turned her face away, but she was still hyper-aware of the feeling of her fur brushing against Ash's all night long.

* * *

Although she was still worried about how her kits were doing without her, she didn't have much chance to think about them the next few days. As she grew stronger, Ash spent more and more time with her. He would tell her about the the latest training exercised the others were doing or maybe the new prank the kits had cooked up and Jay wondered eagerly when they would have their tell all session.

At night they started taking liberties with each other, or more exactly, Ash did, as Jay didn't have enough strength to coo to him as he did her. It was a meaningless love that Jay knew he was doing just because he wanted her to be high on feelings of love and trust when she told about her past, and she did the best to make him feel the same as well, fabricating love and feeding it to him like he was a kit. She imagined that after six days they both believed they were in love with each other but were both aware that their feelings based on falsehoods.

But they accepted it, for that was the only way the other cat would accept the love as well. Thought they never went so far as to becoming official mates, so Jay didn't have to worry about having more kits in new-leaf when they were trying to save the valley.

After those six days Jay was almost completely better, her cough was down to an occasional hack and her headache was absent. She now had the strength to woo Ash and she applied herself to it vigorously. Ash had asked her about her past several times while sharing tongues with her, but she'd refused to answer and likewise she had not yet brought up his past.

But tonight, as it snowed lightly at dusk and they laid in their nest- which had finally been softened with fresh moss after Ash had gotten sick of it being so scratchy- Jay laid on top of Ash, their soft bellies pressed against each other and their muzzles touching as they stared into each others eyes.

She let her eyes slide close and wrapped her fore legs around him, starting to groom around his neck and face, she could feel his heartbeat go up and breathing increase as tiny tremors went down his skin. "Ash," she whispered, knowing that tonight was the night they'd been waiting for. "Tell me about your kit-hood."

He swallowed hard, seeming to realize that this was the right time, even if neither of them had wanted to be first, he had learned that she was more stubborn than he was patient. He turned his head and stared into her deep eyes and she stared back, the haze thicker than ever.

He wrapped himself around her so that they seemed inseparable and put his muzzle on top of her head, whispering in her ears as she considered her soft murmurings, to keep him trembling and his heart racing. "You already know that I had a different mother than Pine. There was no need for my father to have any more kits, but it seemed he broke the rule and had kits with my mother, Half. Half was blamed,of course, but Night kept her from being killed, instead making her a sort of protected she-cat that didn't have a mate but was still taken care of."

"Anyways, my mother had two kits, my sister and I, Cinder and Ash is what they named us. Although my birth was celebrated more than my sister's, our birth was still looked down upon because our mother wasn't Tinge. Cats plotted to kill my mother and sister but somehow Night kept them safe. I grew really attached to two of them since they were so ostracized by all the cats, especially the hunters." Ash gave a wry smile now, "I don't know why, but they always seemed to be looking down at the fighters and our birth gave them a perfect incident to poke out. It drove my mother insane."

"When I was a kit I had befriended a hunter kit named Amber, and she was the cat I requested for a mate when I became a trainee. Although cross mating in the two groups is allowed for the sons of leaders, the cats were still mostly against the decision. But I managed to convince Night... that's still the only thing I would ever thank him for."

"Amber was unlike any cat I'd ever known," his eyes softened and Jay purred encouragingly, not hurt at all that this other she-cat was held higher in his heart than her, even now. After all, he would never surpass Coalspark or her kits in hers.

"She was beautiful, with poppy-red fur and orange eyes like the sunset," his grip tightened around her, "Even though she was a she-cat where her very existence was looked down upon, she was always cheerful. She never got angry or scared when she was hit and never complained about her lot in life and when I whined about my small troubles she always tried to help. She was the only cat for me, but..."

"It was our second cold season, as we had both been born at the beginning of a cold season, when the Great Sickness came. This would have been the cold season before you showed up. Cats were falling ill one by one and no one knew how to help them. Sometimes a cat would fall sick in the morning and be dead by evening. Surrounded by death, I was terrified, since Amber was carrying my kits. And not only that, but cats had started to kill the she-cats if their mates died, blaming them for not trying enough. That's how my sister was killed."

Ash's gaze darkened and his bared his teeth at the memory, Jay could feel his claws digging into her as he squeezed her, "Because Tinge and Half were sick, the head of medicine for the fighters would have usually fallen on Pine's mate, except Pine was sick so she was exempt. And so responsibility fell on Amber, even though she was heavy with kits and nearly keeling over with exhaustion."

"Well, they darn near worked her to death, but she was so strong and kind she never complained, I was the only tom who was helping his mate care for the sick cats, the others were just sitting around staring at the cave walls like a bunch of idiots. The sickness was leaving, but not before it took my mother, after losing Half right after losing Cinder I nearly fell apart. Amber, for all her exhaustion and suffering still comforted me. And for a while it seemed like we would get out of those dark times alright, until that low-born rat acted up..."

"Who was it, Ash?" Jay cooed, squirming in his grasp and purring as he gripped her tighter, encouraging his selfish embrace.

"His name was Raven, a cankerous old coot. His father had been a cat named Fox and both had been resident trouble-makers. His mate was taken away from him because he was too violent, and you know that if the Ivy Cats do that, then he really was violent. But he got really mad when his son died, and because his son didn't have a mate either, he blamed Amber because she had been in charge of him. Legally speaking, he couldn't do anything because of the unspoken rule that you can't touch another cat's mate, but he was clever and Amber was too trusting, he lured her out of the cave and led her up the mountain side..." he shivered and ground his teeth together.

"I wasn't there, I had gone out on patrol, I don't know what happened. But my guess is that he nearly beat her to death and then pushed her down the mountain side, she was dead when I found her in the snow, her and the kits," Ash's voice was thick with grief and for a moment he trembled even without Jay doing anything.

"And then Raven had the audacity to lie! Said that she had slipped and fallen down the mountain! As if falling down a mountain would gouge her eyes out, tear out her claws, or slice her skin to ribbons!" he was trembling with rage and started clawing at her, Jay flinched at the pain but kept nuzzling his neck, wanting him to continue. She could now understand what had happened, why he hated the Ivy Cats so much.

"And they all believed him," Ash growled, "They said that there wasn't enough evidence against him and then blamed me for not keeping better watch over Amber. And they even blamed Amber! Saying she was a clumsy, useless she-cat. I wanted them all to die!"

"Did you kill Raven?" Jay asked, whispering softly in his ears.

"Yes," he growled, "I killed him, the same way he killed Amber, and I made sure he was still alive when I pushed him off the mountainside. The others never found out, though I wouldn't be surprised if some of them suspected it. I think everyone was too tired after the Great Sickness, they were too tired to care and there was no one to mourn for him. I hated it, I decided that Raven dying wasn't enough, they all had to pay for their blindness."

"That's when I started being an informant. I dug into any lead I could find, anything that could possibly hurt the Ivy Cats. I hated them, their blind, prejudiced, unchanging ways made me sick and I wanted nothing less than see them destroyed." Jay gently washed his face, calming him down.

"That's when I met Moss and several other cats that fed me information. I gave them information about the Ivy Cats and they told me things about the valley I never knew before. That's also how I found out about Python and the StarReaders. I first went to Python since I thought he was more direct and less troublesome. I did admire him, he had the sort of strength that came from within that no Ivy Cat had, but he was too soft. He didn't want to destroy the Ivy Cats, he wanted to change them, make them his."

"So you went to the StarReaders next, hmm?" Jay mewed softly.

"Yes, but it was a little more difficult with them. First I needed some information about them and the only cat that had it was Crystal, and that old cat wasn't going to spill anything about them. But then I found another option, one of the daughters of the oldest family in the valley. Midnight was Crystal's daughter and she knew all about the StarReaders as well. But she was as stubborn as her mother, I couldn't trade any information with her."

"How did you do it, then?" Jay pressed. Thinking about Midnight and her current position with the black she-cats former mate made her feel uncomfortable, so she ignored those thoughts and focused on the story.

"Midnight had another mate, you know, and a sister. They all lived together in a den close to where Crystal and her brothers lived. But Midnight's mate and sister ran off together to join Python, leaving her abandoned and alone. It was the perfect opportunity, I took advantage of her loneliness and gave her the companionship she'd lost. It was only for a short time, but I got the information I wanted and she got the love that satisfied her. I never thought about it again, Amber was the only cat I ever loved anyways, I was just pretending."

Jay closed her eyes, yes, she knew they were only pretending, faking this intimacy to avoid awkwardness and white lies. It was painless and hollow love, and it would only last until the morning, but she pressed herself closer to him for the time being.

"The StarReaders weren't like Python at all, they wanted to destroy everything in the valley and put their own false goodness in its place. I found them despicable, but they were exactly what I was looking for. I cooperated with them, getting nothing in return except amnesty in their invasion. I hurt you and others to make it work, but in the end it did, and I'd do it again just to see that look on my family's face again," Ash sneered, "I'd never felt so satisfied."

"And then you stayed in the Ivy cat's den alone?" Jay asked, remembering the next time she'd seen him.

"Yes, with the valley dead and dying there was nothing else for me. I thought I'd just die and end it. And then you showed up, looking for revenge, and I thought I wouldn't have to go through the trouble of killing myself. But you didn't kill me, instead you told me I had kits and a family and begged for my help. It was so strange," his voice changed, a softer more puzzled tone.

"The cat I'd used and hurt the most, even though she hadn't done a thing against me, appeared before me and asked for my help, said she wanted me be happy. This, after you almost killed me the last time you saw me! I really did think you were lying though, my family was dead, they didn't exist. And then you mentioned Midnight, I thought for sure it was a joke, but it turned out to be real. I had kits and a mate, but I couldn't go to them, I couldn't speak to them. They weren't really mine, a cruel illusion that I could never lay claim to, not after what I'd done," his voice thickened again and he buried his face in her fur.

"Did you want to be a family with them?" Jay whispered, she'd always had the feeling that Ash was keeping himself distant for a reason. Was he secretly afraid to have a family again after what happened with Amber? Did he even understand why himself? Or did he resent them, for not being the family he originally wanted?

"I... don't know. Midnight never told me or asked me, she kept them a secret, I don't think she wanted me and I can't blame her for that. I thought I could make it up to her by rescuing our kits, but then she died and it fell apart. Now how can I face those kits, when I was just using their mother and now she's gone because of what I'd done. I can't..."

"But you can," Jay reassured him, rubbing her face fiercely against his, "Those kits want you, they love you and they want you to love them too. I know you've been trying to make things right, even if you were dragged along and complained a lot," she giggled.

Ash raised his face from her fur and looked at her playfully, "Are you making fun of me?" he asked in mock indignation.

Jay swatted at him playfully, feeling giddy as they tousled a little in the nest, but she was still weak from the sickness so he won easily, pinning her down beneath him, "Now say you're sorry."

She giggled at him, stubbornly keeping her mouth closed and turning her face away as he put his close to hers so that she had to look into his eyes. "Say it," he purred, touching noses with her.

Her breathing caught in her throat and she felt the heat rising and her adrenaline rushing. Ash was looking at her in a different way than a moment ago, it wasn't just feel-good love, but real- if only imaginary- adoration in his eyes and she felt like it was reflecting what was in her heart, at least for the moment. "Jay, do you want to be mates, just for tonight?" she wasn't surprised by the question, and her thoughts flew back to the last time she was asked that question, but it had been a little different.

_"I love you, Jaypaw, I want to be mates with you for forever."_

Snapping back to the present she pushed Ash off of her and while he recovered from the shock ran out of the den. She stumbled and ran deeper into the snow-filled valley, the freshly-fallen snow flying up like powder around her paws. The biting cold couldn't chase away the heated love though, and she could hear Ash chasing her. She wasn't completely against the idea, but something in her heart had just screamed 'no.'

Too weak and weary to outrun him, she collapsed in the snow in the middle of the valley, Ash on her back with the disturbed snow shifting around her. "Don't run Jay, I won't do anything if you don't want to do. But you still have to tell your story," Ash mewed, rolling her over onto her back and standing over her so that when she looked up his head was silhouetted against the great black sky.

The stars were so brilliant, even without the moon they illuminated the sky with their unearthly light. She felt emotion thicken in her throat, "I can't betray him, Ash, not the promise I made him. Even after all these moons, he won't leave me alone," her voice trembled and she felt Ash lay down next to her, sharing his warmth and letting her stare up at the sky in peace.

"The father of your kits, you mean?" Their roles were reversed, now she was pouring out her heart and he was eating it up.

"His name was Coalspark. I was born in a forest, far, far away from the mountains. My father was the leader of a group of cats, and my mother was his top counsel. They were always so busy, my brother and I were always on our own. I didn't get along with the other kits, instead of trying to understand them, I ignored them, so I was mostly on my own."

"But then an apprentice-er, that would be the equivalent of a trainee- started coming to see me. He would teach me all sorts of things and tell me all kinds of things. He didn't treat me like I was just my father's prodigy, but like I was my own cat. He didn't look down on me when I made mistakes or didn't get something right away, but laughed and joked and teased me. And I was in love with him before I was made an apprentice."

"Sounds like a perfect relationship, did he not love you?" Ash asked, she glanced at him, tearing her eyes from the sky to look in his eyes, they were like clear glass, not a shred of haze remained as if for once in his life he was being sincere.

"No, he loved me. He said so and he acted like it as well," Jay sighed, looking back at the sky. The dark feeling of loneliness coming out. "My brother supported our relationship, though he said we should wait until we were older. I think that even though he didn't get along well with Coalspark, that he was happy that I loved someone, that there was someone else I could turn to."

"For awhile when I first became an apprentice we were in the same den, but he was soon made a warrior and I was alone in the den. My brother had chosen a special path so he was in a different den and so I had to be with the cats I didn't get along with. They really didn't like me, I think they found me ignoring them insulting, they probably assumed that I felt superior to them when I really just didn't care about them. They were also jealous that my mentor was the deputy, the second highest rank in the Clan, and I was already at the top in all the assessments even though I was younger. Probably thought that the assessments were rigged to make me look good because my father was the leader."

"You can't blame them, no cat likes to think they lack natural talent, so to see some cat full of it is frustrating," Ash mewed, almost bitterly.

"Anyways, they picked on me a couple times. Nothing mean, they just 'accidentally' unsheathed their claws when we were practice sparring or would knock me into bramble bushes or trees when we were hunting together. I tried to tell our mentors but they told me I was imagining it, they didn't believe me," Jay gritted her teeth, remembering the way they had looked down on her like she was paranoid.

"But he didn't call me stupid, he believed me, even when my brother didn't want to do anything, he did something. Coalspark was the only one I could count on, he threatened them to leave me alone, I don't know how, but after that they just ignored me and I couldn't be happier. We were even closer, we started going out at night together."

Jay sighed, closing her eyes and trying to picture his face, wreathed with lilies as she sat on top of him, his kind eyes were so warm and even though he was so strong, he was so gentle with her. "He was everything I thought about, the only thing I could focus on. I started to fall behind in my training and that was the first time my parents called me to their den to speak with them." She smiled bitterly as she remembered the disapproving look of her father and the sad, worried look of her mother.

"They told me to stop messing around with the warriors, that if I didn't get serious I wouldn't become a warrior with the other apprentices. I didn't care, I told them so, and that night I became mates with Coalspark. We were perfect together, we had everything, I didn't care about anything else, not petty battles and boring hunting patrols, not my older siblings or den-mates. Just him."

Jay tilted her head thoughtfully, "At the time I supposed he felt the same, but he didn't. He still loved me, I knew he did, but he told me that he wanted to be deputy and leader someday. It was his dream and I thought it was a good dream. I promised to be his deputy when he was leader and he told me that made him happy. Except..."

She trailed off, closing her eyes and shutting out the stars, "He told me that we had to wait. That I needed to focus on my training and become a warrior so that I would be worthy of being his deputy. That we would be happier if we waited. I thought he was joking but he was serious, I later found out that my father had talked to him as well. I was furious, I had never talked much with my father but I fought with him for a long time about it and eventually he did punish me. I had already completed my final assessment, but he was going to make me wait until all the other older apprentices were warriors."

"It wasn't long after that I discovered I was expecting kits. I wanted to tell Coalspark, but he'd been avoiding me lately, as if I was just another clan-mate. I understood then that his future was more important to me. I can't say I hated him for it, but I couldn't stand it either. So I decided to leave."

"And that's when you came here?" Ash asked. Jay turned her head to look at him, his orange fur shone soft gray in the starlight and the snow formed a perfect depression around him.

"That's right," she whispered. "I had wanted to leave for a long time. All my shallow Clan-mates, all the whispers and gossip. I was sick of that forest, it was stifling and closed me in. And with Coalspark turning his back on me, there was nothing to keep me there."

"Hey, Jay," Ash mewed, shifting closer so that they were nose-to-nose, "You're still hiding something, aren't you?" Jay wanted to shrink away, but his eyes held her captive, "I can see a darkness in your eyes. Something you want to forget, what is it?"

She was silent for a long while, debating whether to tell him or not. "Earlier I said that my parents wanted me to focus on my training, and that's why they didn't like my relationship with Coalspark. And that the other cats ignored me because they were jealous. And that Coalspark cared more about his future instead of me. But that's not the whole truth. I did something... I did some things that I probably shouldn't have."

"And what was that?" his voice was so tempting, to pour out her nightmares onto him was terrifying and exciting. She was talking before she could stop herself.

"It wasn't my fault! He was on our side of the border! And he mocked me, I couldn't let that go unchallenged. I had to kill him, I had to kill all of them!" her chin was trembling and she felt like laughing, there was nothing else to feel but hilarity. "I can't help it that they ticked me off, I can't help that their blood tasted so good! It wasn't my fault!" Now she was screeching, withering around in the snow, as if she were an apprentice again, cornered and scorned for defending herself. He had attacked her, she hadn't meant to kill him, but he moved his neck at the wrong moment and she couldn't help it. They insisted it wasn't an accident, so much so that she had admitted to it.

She felt Ash holding her down and she lifted her face to look at him furiously, "You think I shouldn't have killed them either, don't you?!" she accused.

"Jay," he mewed softly, "Who did you kill?"

She struggled against him, but her strength vaporized rapidly and she fell back against the snow, glaring up at him, her heart racing. "A WindClan cat, an enemy. I don't care if the Code says not to kill, he was asking for it! Saying that I'd been given everything, that I hadn't worked a day in my life and that I was a helpless love-struck rabbit. He didn't understand anything!"

"And I killed others too, they were just like him. Those two ShadowClan apprentices were too cocky. That loner was too stupid. I couldn't stand their existence! In that forest, they kept following us, it was annoying! And even here in the mountains, those cats had joined Python for no other reason than they were bored. Did they think war was a game?" she scoffed, glaring at him.

Ash looked down at her, the faintest hint of surprise absent, "So you killed those two cats, everyone said it was the Ivy Cats, but I knew that wasn't true," he mused, looking down at her sternly. "Were you punished for killing those cats?"

Jay stared hotly at the sky behind him, "Killing without reason is wrong, but I had reason. No one believed me though, the other Clans wanted me thrown out. Coalspark was embarrassed to be connected to me, he said it would hurt his career. My parents tried to threaten me to obey, saying they would keep me grounded in camp my whole life. No cat tried to understand me, except my brother," her voice softened.

"He was always busy in the medicine-cat den, but he never was too busy to talk if I needed it. He was the only cat I told I was leaving, he didn't want me to go, threatened to tell our parents, but we both knew they'd be relieved to see their troublesome daughter gone. If there was anything I was sorry for, it was causing him trouble," she sighed, for a moment she had felt like an apprentice again, high on feelings of hate, wrath, violence, infatuation, passion.

But the memory of her brother itself was a cure, it calmed her down, it brought her back to her current reality. She wasn't that cat that would lash out at the slightest thing anymore, she had kits to raise and cats to lead. Her past haunted her, that was proof that she'd changed, because it bothered her. Maybe she did still love Coalspark, but he must have forgotten about her long ago. Their connection was like a thin cobweb, it would disappear if she tried to look for it too long and it'd vanish when she wasn't looking, but in the sun, she would catch a glimpse of it and it'd be as strong as ever.

"So after all of that," Ash asked, "Why are you fighting for the valley? Are you trying to make up for the pain of the past by helping others now?"

Jay just stared up at him, "My father was a leader and my mother saved the Clans. It's in my blood, I guess."

His gray eyes were understanding and confused, a look of acceptance that she felt in her heart was on his face. It was a look she cherished, even after hearing all she'd done he could still keep looking at her, even if they were pretending. "Jay, I feel like we're alike," he whispered, leaning closer. "I can't love anyone but Amber, and you can't love anyone but Coalspark as a mate. But right here and now, I feel like I could make an exception."

Jay held her breath, she was no longer looking at a object to get information out of, instead she was looking and facing the real Ash. The cat that had loved and lost, who had lived off of those horrible desires and strove for the destruction of his closest of kin. And she almost loved him, because here they were, sharing their pain and loneliness and accepting both. They could accept both, because they had felt it themselves.

"I feel the same."


	43. The Mighty Fall

"Jay's back!"

"Mom!"

"Are you all better now?"

The gray queen was overwhelmed by the sudden noise and the presence of so many cats. But it filled her with happiness to see all the kits, including Eagle, welcoming her back with joy. She glanced sideways at Ash who had accompanied her back.

Although it had already been three days since they had spilled their pasts to each other and ceased their intimacy, there was still an awkward tension between them. Even though she knew it had been false love, it still excited her. Even though she knew it had been only for curiosity's sake, he was the only one who knew her past.

And likewise, she was the only one who knew his. To hold such a secret bond was a delightful and terrifying thing.

"Jay, I'm glad that you've recovered," Silver's soft mew attracted her attention and she looked at the pale gray she-cat who was standing side-to-side with Thunderstorm, eyes softer and gentler than Jay remembered.

With a feeling of pleasure, Jay thanked her and took her time greeting and nuzzling each of the kits, listening to the little stories they told of their latest victory in their game or the impressive catch they made. "Adder, how are you doing?" She asked, greeting the young tom. He had hung back, still clearly awkward with being part of a fuss.

"Uh, I'm doing fine. And so are you, I hope?" he forced out, glancing up at her and down again.

"Yep! Fully recovered and ready for work!" Jay purred, nodding at the tom and then turning to Crow who was standing just outside of the den. He was looking a little better, but he was still thin and she could see his long, curly fur needed a good cleaning.

"Glad to see you back in camp, it just isn't the same without you," Crow greeted her warmly, if not a little sarcastically.

"I'm glad to be back, I missed everyone and we've lost a lot of time thanks to being sick. Ash told me you guys have been training, but leaf-bare will be over soon, we need to get ready," she mewed, turning to all the cats as she said this and narrowing her eyes in determination.

She could feel pride swelling inside her as she looked at them. Dusk Howl's steady strength, Adder's quiet spirit, Silver's willing heart, and Eagle's eager energy. And her kits as well, they had grown- oh, how they'd grown! It seemed like just yesterday she was cradling them at her belly. But not now, at eight moons old their ear tips were reaching the shoulders of the older cats.

Flint, especially, who had the size of his father, was as big as Eagle and catching up fast to Adder. Ice had grown into a graceful form that she hadn't inherited from Jay, and Hail, now fully recovered from sickness, seemed to have grown like a weed and was inching just slightly ahead of his sister, most of his size still in his legs though.

And it wasn't just her kits, Ash's daughters and son were bigger. Breeze and Rusty were about a mouse-length shorter than Ice, though Panther was still only coming up to her father's belly. They had grown in the past moons of hardships, and although she shied away from asking them to fight, she knew they would have to play some part in saving the valley.

Meeting the eyes of every cat Jay felt touched, even after everything she had done, here she was, surrounded by cats ready and willing to fight with her. "Right now in the valley, our real home, the StarReaders hold many of our friends and family captive and are threatening the livelihoods of every other cat in the valley. They will force us to leave or join them, but we won't run and we won't submit," Jay paced back and forth in front of the cats, tail lashing and getting them riled up.

"We cannot submit, for if they win now, they win forever. This will not be an easy battle, we are incredibly out-numbered and they have strange abilities we cannot fathom. But we are not alone; we have each other, the prisoners will rally behind us with the promise of freedom, and Amelia is doing good work for us in the valley. Together, we can succeed," the cats nodded in agreement with her and Jay stopped her pacing to face them.

"But I won't force any cat to fight. Only Adder and Dusk Howl joined with the explicit reason for defeating the StarReaders, anyone may choose to not fight if they want it," She'd seen first-hand how cats who didn't want to fight were always the first to turn-tail, betray, or die in battle.

But not one of the cats, not even the kits nor Thunderstorm or Crow or Ash backed out. Jay purred, "I can't tell you how proud I am of you all. Alright, let's get to work."

* * *

"I'll lead the training sessions personally. We want to focus on training the kits, if all the older cats help out with the training, they will sharpen their own techniques and we'll be more efficient," that evening Jay and Ash shared a meal while discussing how best to prepare and what their battle-plan would be.

"We can't train every cat everyday though, it would wear them out and then no cat could hunt," Ash mewed, frowning at the pile of bones and whatever else remained of the crow they'd shared.

"That's true, but we don't have forever and although the kits have been taught the basics, that's not going to be enough in this sort of fight. We also need to make sure Dusk Howl participates in a lot of these sessions, I heard he could barely beat Eagle the other day."

Ash snorted in amusement, "I don't think he's ever actually fought, he isn't a talented hunter either."

Jay frowned, she'd been hoping Dusk Howl would surprise her, and although he had, it was not a good way. Glancing around to make sure they were only the two still out as twilight settled thickly beneath the pines she sighed, "He's only useful for information. If he would only share it."

"If you stop being so nice you'll get it out of him in no time," Ash yawned, flopping on his back in the snow. "Or I could do it for you," he mewed, sliding open one eyes slightly to watch her.

Jay shook her head, "I'll take care of it, but first I need to pay Amelia a visit. It's been two moons, I need to know what's going on."

"The pass is full of snow, you risk breaking you neck if you try to leave," Ash warned.

Jay flicked her tail, "I'm sure I'll manage," she mewed dryly. Although it would be impossible for more than two cats to get in or out alive, she was sure one cat could do it if they went carefully.

"I'll grieve you when you're gone," Ash mewed sarcastically.

"Don't be dramatic," Jay mewed, standing up and yawning, stifling a cough as the cold air hit her throat.

"Don't push yourself, you're not fully recovered yet," Ash said, standing up himself and looking at her, his gray eyes hazy and hiding their intention. Jay felt a twinge of yearning for that clear gray she'd seen on a night not so long ago.

"Don't worry, I know. I'm going to go to sleep right now," she mewed, heading towards the den.

"I'll come with you, it's too cold to stay out long tonight," he added as she gave him an odd look, it was strange for him to go to bed so early.

Inside the den Jay could see that there had been a shift of nests. Eagle, Thunderstorm, and Silver had a cluster of nests near where her herbs were in the back, her three kits were still sharing a nest close to Crow where all the sick cats had been and Ash's kits shared a nest near them as well.

"Looks like my old nest got tossed out," Jay sighed, thinking about how difficult it would be to find enough moss under all the snow for a new one.

"Yeah, but I stole my kits' old nest for my own. It's plenty big for the two of us for tonight," Ash mewed, nodding at the one closest to the entrance. Jay groaned, it was in the coldest spot, but there was no helping it unless she wanted to sleep on a bunch of pine needles and scraps of dried bracken. The nest was certainly large, though Jay felt a little awkward as she stepped in besides Ash, some memories were too recent to ignore and she put on her best stoic face and curled down, leaning away when their fur brushed.

"If you lean out any further, you'll fall out of the nest,," Ash teased in a whisper. Jay growled at him but stubbornly did not move. "We'll both freeze if you insist on not sharing warmth. Look, this isn't anything special, just two den-mates sharing mutual warmth on a night that could freeze a rabbit in its burrow, don't over-think it," Ash murmured, his voice trailing off into sleep.

But Jay didn't shift again until she heard his steady breathing and then she relaxed, sliding closer and letting his warmth mingle with hers. Closing her eyes, not even the cold draft seemed like enough to cool her down.

* * *

Jay rose before dawn the next morning. In the pale gray light before the sun rose she groomed her pelt and went out into the snowy clearing. The sky was clear, waning from black to gray as the night changed to morning. The frost bit her nose as she searched for the fresh-kill left-over from last night.

There were only three small frozen pieces of prey, nothing to warm her up. But it would stave her hunger until the sun was up and hunting would be more fruitful. "Up so early?" Jay glanced up at the masculine voice almost expecting to see Ash since that was who she was the most used to seeing lately.

But instead it was Thunderstorm, his sightless amber eyes staring out over her head. "Yes, I'm going to visit Amelia today but I want to be back by sun-high," she mewed, swallowing the last bit of frozen mouse.

Thunderstorm didn't respond, turning his head away but not leaving. Jay watched him for a moment, "Do you need something?" she asked pointedly.

"Well, since you brought it up," Thunderstorm mewed, turning toward her again, "I wanted to ask you something."

"Go on," Jay encouraged, kicking snow over the bones of her finished meal and walking closer to him.

"I want to help fight the StarReaders too, but since I'm blind, I don't know what I should do to help," the lanky tom mewed.

Jay blinked in surprise, he'd never shown much interest in her doings, and often tried to get out of any work or responsibility by using his blindness as an excuse. But here he was, asking how he could help. Jay wondered if Silver's passion had rubbed off on him. "Well..." Jay mewed, thinking hard. How could she use a blind cat? Her mother had been an excellent source of advice and strategy for her father, despite being blind. But Thunderstorm didn't have that sort of knowledge or wisdom. He couldn't fight or hunt, could barely gather moss on his own. What about using healing herbs?My mother did that too, even though she was blind, surely he could be taught to identify herbs by scent and learn how to correctly use them.

"Alright," Jay mewed slowly, "Although you can't hunt or fight, there is something you could do." Thunderstorm leaned in eagerly. "You could learn how to use herbs as medicine."

The gray tom recoiled, a disgruntled look on his face, "I meant a real task," he growled.

Jay blinked in surprise, "That is a real task. You don't think it's important to heal the wounds of your friends when they're injured? If you learn how, you might prevent someone from dying." Her mind flew back to the Ivy Cats, healing had been done by the she-cats who were looked on as below toms. Ah, so he thinks healing is beneath him, eh?

It felt just a little like retribution to see Thunderstorm look so awkward and embarrassed "Wouldn't you want to help your brother if he got hurt? What if learning how to heal saved Silver's life?" She added in a more teasing tone.

Thunderstorm glared at her, "Okay, I got it. This is the only thing I can do as I am, right? I'll do it," it sounded like he had to choke the words out. He still has so much pride left, Jay marveled in amusement.

"Okay, well, I have to go now. Crow knows a bit about herbs, you can ask him for an introduction to them while I'm gone and then I'll teach you all I know about it," she instructed, starting to back away, the first milky streaks of light were starting to appear.

Thunderstorm nodded gloomily, staring after her as she hurried out of camp. But she soon forgot him, the pines smelled crisp and fresh and the snow was firm enough that she didn't sink down but gave a satisfying crunch as she walked on top of it.

Jay was in high spirits, she was sure this would be a good day.

* * *

**... Amelia's POV ...**

As soon as she opened her eyes, the black she-cat knew this was going to be a bad day. The sun had barely started shining light in the valley and she could already hear an unmistakable pattern of pawsteps echoing in what would be the entry cave to the stone valley. It seemed that after two moons, Jay had decided to pay her another visit.

Amelia narrowed her scarlet eyes at the ceiling of the place she'd been sleeping for awhile. It wasn't a home, and it wasn't much, just a tiny pine tree whose leaves were so coated with snow it made a perfect little igloo against its trunk where she was completely screened and protected by the thick snow, ideal for sleeping out of the cold.

But all the white hurt her eyes, especially when it was light out and she was trying to sleep. Amelia had been out all night, but of course Jay, who knew she operated by night, wouldn't care. As inconsiderate as every other empty-headed cat she'd had the pleasure of meeting in her long life.

But her ears couldn't ignore the hurried steps that Jay was taking down the mountainside and she knew that the gray cat would get annoyed if she didn't appear magically before her. So while huffing swears under her breath, Amelia crawled out of the spot that was just starting to be warm and shook herself vigorously as she stood in the cold valley with snow piled up to her shoulders.

But it had compacted on the top, so as soon as she leaped up, it was like walking on ground, except the ground she stood on was a tail-length higher than the actual ground. This meant she had to be careful for weak spots where she could fall through the snow and get stuck.

Not that it would ever happen to her, her ears were more than sensitive enough to steer her away from weak spots in the snow. She steered herself towards the east side of the valley, she would probably meet Jay near the mountainous path that led up to Python's old hideout since Jay was only now climbing into the valley, skirting StarReader territory and heading up the east mountain range.

The sky was clear, a pale blue color that somehow felt gray, despite the shining sun. Amelia continued walking soundlessly over the snow, the crunch of it echoed through her ears, but it came from cats far, far away. It would be too annoying if she had to listen to herself make noise with her sharp hearing.

But Jay wasn't so considerate, even though Amelia knew she was perfectly capable of being as soundless as a shadow, she was plunging through the snow boldly, narrowly missing weak parts that would halt her advances. Shaking her head, she hurried on to meet the gray she-cat.

"Ah! Amelia, there you are," Jay greeted her, blue eyes sparking with impatience.

The black she-cat tilted her head, "I didn't think I'd see you until new-leaf," she answered, studying Jay's figure. The dark gray she-cat had lost weight, a lot of weight, all her ribs were visible, though her well groomed fur did well to hide it. There was also a different look to her, as if she'd been reinvigorated by something, or distracted by something.

Amelia was good at guessing what a cat was feeling, and analyzing the 'hows' and 'whys.' It came from living as a youth longer than most cats. She's been sick, her ears could detect a faint wheezing in Jay's chest, a lingering trace of sickness.

"I thought you said you moved to that ravine so that you could feed every cat, not doing too well if you ask me," Amelia snorted, provoking Jay.

As expected, Jay rolled her eyes, "I didn't come here to discuss that-" of course you didn't "- I came to discuss the StarReaders." Didn't see that coming, Amelia thought sarcastically, but kept her gaze narrowed and void of emotion.

"What do you want to know?" Amelia invited, she wasn't going to offer her opinions for free or give her advice, but her current job was to give Jay whatever information the gray cat wanted. And her reward was to watch Jay spiral into chaos.

Jay started pacing over the white snow, her shadow stretching behind her across the snow. "Has there been any change with the situation?" when Amelia shook her head Jay hissed and looked at the ground, "Then I want to know any kinds of weakness, anything that could be useful when it comes to strategy."

Strategy. That was a word that brought back memories, little Scorch had been a strategist, her wisdom and foresight had gone beyond Amelia's own. Of course, that was because Scorch could see that past and had learned far more than she had.

She regarded Scorch's child with an air of superiority, Jay had a mind for tactics and tricks, but not strategy. You can try your best, I'll even point you in the right direction. "If you want my opinion, it should be pretty easy to beat them."

Jay's ears pricked and she looked at her hungrily, not even second-guessing what Amelia told her. They had no real bond, but Jay trusted her fully. "It seems that the only authority comes from the leader, Blanche, and her daughter. If you take out those two, our StarReader friend should be able to accomplish his goal and the StarReaders will leave the valley peacefully and return to their old ways," Amelia mewed.

She had been quick to observe that these cats didn't operate like the Clans, Ivy Cats, or Python's cats. Blanche and Lune were the supreme rulers, everyone automatically turned to them for orders, justice, punishment, or reward. Take that away, Dusk Howl would be able to sway them to return to their old ways and convince them to leave the prisoners behind. Of course, since the StarReaders were the central power in the valley right now, them just up and leaving would cause problems, but that would be a problem to worry about later.

"I see..." Jay mused, Amelia could almost see her thoughts turning, trying to figure out the easiest way to assassinate the two leaders. Amelia smirked, Jay had been running from her bloody past, but she didn't even realize how deeply she was still connected to it.

_It didn't haunt her because it was far behind her, it haunted her because it stalked her like her shadow, becoming one with her at these moments where the easiest option was to kill instead of finding another way. Scorch would have never condoned murder except on the battlefield, assassination would wound her. And that's why I encourage it._

"Ask your StarReader friend about the leaders, I can't get much more information about them at this point, anything might give you the advantage when the time comes," Amelia added.

Jay nodded, "I know, thanks for the advice." She started to turn away and then paused, "Amelia, can you still hear far-away sounds?" Jay asked, glancing back at her with a hidden look in her dark eyes.

Amelia was a little taken aback, since she hadn't expected a question like that, but she quickly recovered, "Yes."

"But you can't hear into the stone valley or ravine?"

"No," Amelia affirmed, wondering where she was going with this.

A shadow flitted over Jay's gaze, "Do you know if the StarReaders' powers are like yours?"

Amelia laughed, "No, they are very different. Don't worry, they don't know you are there."

Jay nodded, not looking convinced, and not leaving despite not saying anything more. Amelia ceased her laughing, it sounded cold and cruel even to herself. Jay wasn't amusing her much anymore and the StarReaders unnerved her, especially Lune and Blanche. She had thought about leaving for a long time, perhaps she could go see what ended up happening between Rainstone and Scorch, then come back and find out what Jay ended up doing. After all, she had plenty of time on her paws.

The black she-cat turned away, signaling she was finished with this meeting. Usually Jay was too preoccupied to give her any extra attention, but today seemed to be different. "Are you okay?" Jay called, taking a few steps after her.

Amelia glanced over her shoulder, amused to see the concerned look in Jay's eyes. The cat was perceptive, she must have picked up on her sentiment of finality. "I'm just fine," Amelia assured her, giving a sly grin.

Jay's eyes darkened, "I won't be seeing you again," it was more of a statement than a question.

Amelia shrugged, "Not for awhile. Does that make you sad?" she asked, turning to face Jay and studying the gray cat's stoic face. "Are you annoyed that you're losing such a useful tool? Your most trusted spy?"

Jay blinked, "The kits will miss you," she responded.

Amelia narrowed her eyes, frustrated that Jay wasn't taking the bait. "I'm sure you'll make it up to them," she snapped. "Any last requests?" she offered, goading Jay's selfishly tactical side.

The dark eyes flashed, "If you're offering..." Yes, I'm offering. Prove me right, prove to me that you're just as naive and greedy as you were when I met you. "I want you to come see us again. After this is all over. I want to show you what I built," Jay's eyes were glowing, it irked Amelia because she had seen that same indomitable glow in a pair of green eyes that had belonged to a kit. So Jay had grown up, at least a little, but she still had a lot to learn.

The black she-cat turned away again, "I look forward to it." And then she was sprinting away, her powerful and slender long legs propelling her over the snow and her ears pricked to guide her along the safest path. She was soon far out of sight and earshot of Jay.

The excitement of a journey was already bubbling in her belly. Perhaps she would visit her mother's grave, and her brother's. But not her father's, she didn't care about him- after all, he was as bad as a StarReader. She looked across the white snow, the forest rose up, a few ashen trees at first and then a tangle of branches crowded together in the distance to block the snow's rolling conquest.

Amelia turned her back on it, she could hear the StarReaders going about their daily tasks and the prisoners wallowing in their frozen misery. Night had a bad cold, but it wasn't anything a bit of sleep wouldn't cure. She couldn't pinpoint Blanche or Lune, as usual, but they weren't anywhere near her or else her power wouldn't work at all. Amelia wished she could just kill them, but they had powers like hers, and she didn't understand how they worked. On top of that, the one time she'd met Lune the white she-cat had seemed particularly vicious towards her, no doubt she'd be killed if she confronted them.

Gray clouds were mounting to the east, chasing the sun's path as it rose. It wouldn't be a clear day for very long. But Amelia headed west, taking the passage with all this snow would be dangerous, at least, for normal cats, but her ears would guide her safely through. If she hurried she could be out of the mountains by sunset, she could almost feel her gloominess melting away at the prospect of going someplace new. It was the only feeling that never grew old.

"I can't let you do that."

The words rang out in the silence that suddenly fell upon Amelia. The blood in her ears had ceased and so had the sound of her breathing and the slight shift of snow under her running paws- only the hanging notes of those words occupied the air.

And then there was another sound and Amelia's world turned sideways as she slipped into a snow drift, a hollow space caved out under weakened snow. Her ears had failed her, her thoughts immediately went blank as she lay stunned on what felt like ice, the breath knocked out of her.

Trying to find her breath, she found her thoughts at the same moment. Lune. Her gaze turned upward and she saw the white she-cat standing, pale violet eyes narrowed and face pulled into an unpleasant expression. Amelia wobbled to her paws though they trembled and glared defiantly up at the white she-cat.

She had been trapped, yes, but not yet beaten. "Did you need something?" she snarled, breaking the silence.

Instead of answering her, Lune began to circle around the opening of the hole Amelia had slipped into. Because it was so deep, Amelia guessed that it was against a hill-side- a good four fox-lengths of icy-snow packed all around her.

Lune had the high ground, so she had the advantage. But as things stood Lune couldn't get anywhere near her without getting trapped herself. Amelia smirked, she had been going to let Jay take care of it, but she'd take out Lune for her as a parting gift.

Her eyes flitted around the steep hole, there was just enough of a slant that if she dug her claws into the ice she could climb out in a hurry, she started crouching down, eyes focused on where she would leap. Lune was still pacing, her white fur as crisp as the icy snow and it seemed to crackle just as loudly, Amelia only had to wait for the she-cat to be in the most opportune position...

"Alright, tell me how you got it," Lune growled suddenly, pausing her stalking and glaring down at her. "Out with it," she snapped when the black she-cat didn't respond right away.

Amelia narrowed her eyes, "What are you talking about?"

Lune hissed, arching her back and puffing out her fur, "You know very well what this is about, now answer me before I bury you alive!"

With what snow? It's all packed down, you couldn't throw more than a couple paw-fulls down and that wouldn't do anything, Amelia thought scornfully. "I really don't know," she lied again, analyzing the enemy. Lune was far, far younger than her- but older than Jay. Probably close to Dusk Howl's age, not exactly young but not old either. Her movements were soft and not at all graceful, they did not convey the feeling of power or skill.

But that wasn't what made the she-cat terrifying, it was more of a feeling than something observable. A strange aura that hung around her, an aura of danger and control. It reminded Amelia of her late father, and that disgusted her all the more.

"Your powers," Lune hissed, eyes flashing in a disgust of her own, "I know you have been 'blessed,'" she spat the word as if it were poison. "But the stars didn't choose you, you should not have that power!" the white she-cat ranted on.

Amelia glowered up at her, "How do you know?" she snarled, "How do you know enough to judge me or say what I should or should not have? I was given it, at a great price that others paid, but I did not ask for it."

Lune narrowed her eyes and suddenly she seemed made of ice, "Then explain it," she talked slowly, as if the black she-cat wouldn't understand otherwise. "Who gave you these powers and how did they do it? If you answer me honestly I'll leave you alone- but I will kill the cat that gave these precious gifts to you."

Amelia paused, mulling her words over, "He's already dead, but I'll tell you anyways," to buy some time until I can work out what your true aim is. "My father gave me these gifts when I was a kit too small to open my eyes," she mewed, retelling the story she had learned from her foster-mother. "He made a deal with a cat, a shadow cat with glowing red eyes. He traded the lives of my mother and brother for two gifts," Amelia mewed, sourness staining the words.

"He made me his perfect warrior to help him to take over the Clans and then lead them when he was dead. I was given the gift of 'sound,' I'm able to hear sounds far away. And the gift of 'longevity,' after I fully matured I haven't aged a day. I don't know the details about how he did it, I was never interested in knowing and my father died before I could wrestle the rest of the story out of him." Amelia mewed, watching Lune's reaction carefully.

The white she-cat seemed annoyed and confused, "So he was messing with things on his own again... I should have known," the white she-cat looked away, thinking hard it seemed.

Amelia didn't need a better invitation, in two seconds she'd launched herself from one wall of the hole to the next, using the slant and momentum to reach the top in three jumps and landing on the surprised Lune. Her claws were plunged into the white she-cat's shoulders and her jaws were moving toward the exposed neck.

Her jaws pierced the whiteness and crimson drops splattered onto the snow. Amelia blinked, feeling like she'd been hit by a badger and thrown into a boulder. Lune had disappeared from under her and her face was in the icy snow that scratched her face, and it was her blood that turned the snow scarlet.

Shock had a firm grasp on her and she couldn't move, pain so blinding in her throat that it felt like she'd swallowed thorns. Trying to speak, she only let out a gurgle and Amelia knew her throat had been torn out. Without any strength to move she searched with her eyes for Lune, when did she?

The white she-cat was watching her, a satisfied look on her face, "I was lying about letting you go alive, and you saved me the trouble of getting you out of that trap," Lune mewed, lifting a forepaw and licking blood off her claws. "You were very informative though, you aren't immortal as mother feared, only blessed with youth, and the youth can die. With you gone and no longer sniffing around we can take our plans to the next stage, thank you, I have a lot of good news to bring back today!" Lune purred turning away.

Amelia felt rage, black and heavy in her chest and she tried to growl, gurgling out more blood as she stretched one trembling black paw after the white she-cat. "Oh, one more thing," Lune mewed, glancing back over her shoulder, "That cat who gave you your powers was called Time, he's an outsider now and meddlesome, so you were never actually favored by the stars, in case you were feeling we had something in common," Lune narrowed her eyes at her as if she were looking at a disgusting bug.

"But I'll tell you one more thing before you die. My power is the best, it can defeat any other power, so even if you hadn't died here, we would have won anyways. So don't feel too bad. Your friend, Jay, will eventually realize its better for her and her kits to join us and she'll abandon those filthy creatures that she lives with now, and they will be the last ones worthy of our gifts and we can establish a paradise where all are blessed and watched with favor by the stars," Lune's voice was soft, like a mother whispering lullabies to her kit, echoing an old tune over and over again. As fanciful as it was unrealistic.

Amelia couldn't respond though, the white snow was blinding and the pain turned cold as her breathing stopped. She had been defeated, her worst nightmare a reality, now only Jay could stop these deranged cats. _I hope she spreads their entrails from here to the lake._


	44. Reach the Stars

"He told you everything?" Ash stared at her wide-eyed, dropping the prey he'd held in his mouth and letting it hit the snowy forest floor.

Jay smirked, "You look surprised, was there ever any doubt I'd get the information?"

Ash shrugged, picking up his prey again and shaking the snow off of it, "Is Dusk Howl coming back then?"

Jay nodded, walking with him back toward camp, "He said he'd be back by dusk," she broke off in a growl, "He wanted to start training Ice as soon as possible."

"What?" Ash looked baffled so Jay explained.

"He thinks Ice has a connection to the stars, he wants to teach her how to use her ability," she mewed, narrowing her eyes as her tail swished in agitation.

"Is that all you had to do to get him to talk?" Ash betrayed surprise.

Jay nodded, "I know you don't believe in the stars, but it's a big deal for those who do. I also can't tell any cat what he told me."

"Or at least you're not supposed to," Ash supplied.

"Right," Jay purred, nodding her head. "The others don't need to know the details, we'll say its sensitive information and keep it to ourselves."

"Do you want to go over it now?" Ash asked.

Jay shook her head, "Tonight when every cat is asleep we can discuss things. For now I want to check on the kits' training and then do some hunting."

"Fine, I'll see you at camp then," Ash mewed, giving her a sly look as she diverted her path from his.

Jay kept an eye on him until he disappeared among the distant shadows and then took a deep breath, heading toward the training ground. It was getting close to dusk, she'd spent a lot of time listening to Dusk Howl, but she was full of energy after hearing it all. What he'd said had reinforced the idea Amelia had given her, getting rid of Blanche and Lune would end the StarReaders. The hardest part was going to be how to kill them.

Her ears pricked as she heard the distant voices of cats and the scents became stronger. It seemed Ice had managed to join the training session that Adder was heading today after her midnight adventure last night. Her pelt crawled as she remembered the vision of shadows that had appeared before her and the ominous warning, she found herself scanning the shadows around her to see if any were moving.

She came to the dimly lit area where the ground slanted in a mild slope so that the snow collected at the base and paused. The kits darted around the trees, practicing moving in to strike their opponents and then fleeing before their opponent could retaliate, she banished the memory of shadows from her thoughts for the present.

"Adder!" she hailed the yellow tom who was helping show Rusty the correct way to curve his swipes.

He turned, brown eyes gleaming as he spotted her, "Jay! Did you find Dusk Howl?" he asked, Jay noticed Ice paused her offensive attack and turned to stare at her at Adder's eager question.

Jay nodded slowly, "He was just visiting his parents' graves, he'll be back tonight," she assured them.

The cats seemed to sigh a collective sigh of relief and returned to their work.

"The kits are coming along well," she commented, watching Hail dart in to catch the speedy Eagle and dart away, almost making his escape until he slipped on a patch of snow and landed face-first on the ground.

"They are making progress," Adder admitted, but his eyes were narrowed.

"Is something wrong?" Jay asked.

"I don't like the idea of having such young cats fight... they're at a disadvantage simply for being young and weaker. There's no amount of training that will make up for that," the yellow tom growled.

Jay waved her tail reassuringly, "I have no intention of making them fight in an all-out brawl. In fact, I hope they don't have to fight at all. But we must be prepared, all of us, to fight for our lives should anything go wrong," she mewed, narrowing her eyes, "And I have no intention of letting them be completely helpless in this dangerous world."

Adder shrugged, "If we use Dusk Howl as a model, they should be able to fend of the StarReaders, but I'm not sure that he is what we should have expectations of."

"They did manage to subjugate much more skilled and numerous cats," Jay conceded, "I would never make the mistake of underestimating them."

"But it still does confuse me, why did Python's cats and the Ivy Cats not overthrow them? It should have been possible..."

Jay shrugged, turning away, "Who knows? But Adder, right now I want you to attack me," she mewed, glancing over her shoulder at him.

The young tom was caught off-guard, "What?"

"Let me test your skills. Go on, attack me. Don't hold back," she mewed, keeping her body loose and her stance casual.

Adder looked confused and halfheartedly lunged for her. She neatly side-stepped, running her sheathed paw over his side as she did so. "There, you're dead. Try for real this time," she mewed calmly, narrowing her eyes as Adder took a more serious stance.

The yellow tom had a surprising amount of speed and he covered the ground in less than a heartbeat. Jay parried the blow aimed at her head, letting it slide past her and blocking the strike for her chest. Adder took a pace back, getting out of reach and sizing her up again.

Jay could see that the kits had noticed the fight between the older cats and she caught her kits watching her with admiration. She smirked, she was going to have to win this for sure now. However it was still a test of Adder's skills, so she refrained from attacking him, letting him make the first move as they circled around, his brown eyes steady and dark as they waited for an opening.

She feigned getting distracted by a distant cry of an eagle and was ready when he leaped for her. She noticed that his strikes were swift but weak, there was no real force against them. That was not a problem, he simply had to rely more on his claw-work to do damage rather than actual force. But since their claws were sheathed for training, it made Jay's job easier.

His balance was good, she didn't see him waver once, not even when switching from standing on four paws to only back legs and then down again. He had also gotten the high-ground, using the slope against her so that she could do nothing but defend herself. That being said, there was no attack that would break the cycle and she knew that her own endurance would out-weigh his energy, this tactic would not beat her.

All of a sudden he unleashed an even more energetic attack, brown eyes blazing, and forcing her to back away or risk getting pummeled in the nose. Her paws slid against the snow and although she didn't lose her balance, she was momentarily distracted in trying to keep it.

Adder used the small window of opportunity to drop back to four paws and lunge for her. It was unlike anything she'd ever seen, he seemed to shoot across the ground like a fish in a current, attacking her from below even though he was on the higher slope.

It was too quick to dodge and as his breath hit her neck and she felt the thump against her cheek she knew that if it was an actual battle that would have been a terrible injury. Spinning away and putting a good amount of distance between them she faced him, panting.

His sides were heaving as well but he was looking at her with the light of victory in his eyes. It turned her stomach, but she gave him an approving nod. He had surprised her with that move, she wasn't even quite sure how he had done it.

"Good job, Adder," she mewed, relaxing her stance and approaching him casually to show that the mock fight was over. "That last move had me. Though in a real battle I suggest using it sooner, if your enemy defeats you before you can use it, it will do you no good," she commented.

Adder nodded, "Alright."

"And also," she mewed, unsheathing her claws and holding her paw in the air, "I have a couple tips for improving your claw-work."

* * *

"Are we going to talk about you know what?" Ash asked impatiently, standing over her as she finished her evening meal. Jay kept her eyes closed and royally ignored him, continuing her conversation with Silver.

"To say he has a talent for these things would be a lie, but I am impressed by his perseverance," she mewed, telling Silver how much about herbs Thunderstorm had learned. She had given the tom Crow as his first patient, putting him in charge of giving Crow his medicine when his aches were bad enough to require herbs and teaching him to check to see if Crow's wheezing had come back, as it sometimes did on the colder nights.

"He said he's learned almost all the herbs," Silver mewed, blue eyes shining with pride.

"Nearly," Jay agreed, continuing to ignore Ash as he hissed at her, "He'll be ready in time, no doubt," she mewed, glancing sideways at Ash as she finished her food. "If you'll please excuse me, I have to speak with Ash," she mewed, getting to her paws after bidding Silver a goodnight.

"It took you long enough," Ash growled.

"We have to wait for every cat to go to bed anyways," Jay snapped back, gaze sweeping across the twilight lit camp. Silver had gone to join Thunderstorm and Adder by the den and all the kits had already been sent to bed. Except one, Dusk Howl was speaking with Ice at the edge of the clearing.

His voice was too low to hear, however hard she strained her ears, but he had Ice's undivided attention. "Come on," Ash growled, "We can go somewhere else."

Jay nodded in agreement, following out beneath the black canopy of pine branches. "Why are you so anxious?" she asked, finding his pressure surprising and annoying.

"I don't know," he began sarcastically, "Maybe because I've been trying to find out their secrets for seasons?"

"You're as bad as a kit," she scolded, pausing as she realized she couldn't hear the murmur of voices from camp anymore, "This is probably far enough," she mewed, scraping at a little hollow in the ground and sitting in it.

Ash settled down on the snow a few steps away, staring at her intently while his tail lashed wildly behind her. "I'm not supposed to tell you anything that isn't of strategic value," she began slowly, a sly look creeping over her face, "But it all pertains to the StarReaders and anything COULD be of strategic value... I'll just have to tell you everything." Ash rolled his eyes but he looked amused, though he was instantly serious again as she began.

"If what Dusk Howl told me is true, then he was right when he said that they've changed drastically." Jay started, narrowing her eyes, "He said that they used to be a secretive group and they never entered the valley, he admitted that the valley had once been their home, but the stars had led them to the stone valley instead, wishing them to be closer to each other that way. Apparently there's something in the stone valley that they use to directly communicate with the stars," Jay told Ash who looked like he was listening to a fairy tale. She, however, knew that things like the Moonpool existed so she wasn't as doubtful that there was something in that valley they believed to be special.

"The StarReaders' main purpose was to maintain a connection to the stars to receive warnings and keep the stars in the sky, since the main valley has lost its connection. They were prophets of a sort to the cats in the main valley, and the only time they ever went to there was to give warning when they received an omen or prophecy."

"Structurally, the StarReaders' have always had one single leader who would be succeed by their descendent that was chosen by the stars. These leaders always seem to have pure white fur and pale eyes. They are usually the only ones to have powers granted by the stars, two to be exact."

"So the stars give them supernatural abilities?" Ash asked sarcastically, clearly skeptical. Jay continued as if she hadn't been interrupted.

"The leaders always have one specific power, the ability to see the true hearts of others. The second power varied from leader to leader. Blanche, the current leader, had the ability to confer powers onto others- providing that they were compatible with the stars."

"So that explains the weeding out, why some cats were given StarReader status and the others were kept as prisoners," Ash growled. Jay nodded in agreement, she realized now why Blanche seemed to take notice of her, she must be compatible, as well as her kits.

Jay nodded, "The only thing about this power of Blanche's is that there has to be a sacrifice. Apparently she gave up her own eye-sight to give her daughter a power. Though, lots of cats were unhappy with that since Lune was not leader when she received her powers. Dusk Howl's parents were a few of those," Jay mewed, wondering if Ash understood where it was going.

It seemed he did, "Conflict?"

Jay hesitated, "Sort of, Blanche could still 'see' their hearts, so she understood what they were feeling, but Lune encouraged her to not tolerate any disagreement. Dusk Howl's parents and a few others were thrown out. But then Lune came up with the idea that the others should be given powers as well, and that's how we now have the sacrifices. Apparently Blanche judges whether a cat is worthy of receiving a power so not everyone has it even if they are compatible, but when Dusk Howl left he said that at least seven cats besides the leaders had powers."

"Seven, huh? Which ones?" Ash asked, narrowing his eyes, "And what sort of powers?" So he believes it enough to investigate it, Jay though, whiskers twitching.

"It was Turtle Claw, Eagle Egg, Fox Whisper, and Wolf Song from the original StarReaders, and then there were three from the cats they'd conquered. Whirl, whom I believe was with the mountain pass cats, and then Cascade and Pepper."

"Pepper?" Ash echoed, astonished.

Jay nodded, narrowing her eyes, "Dusk Howl said he didn't know what their powers were exactly, but Cascade seemed to become much stronger and Pepper almost seemed to become younger. He also said that Whirl seemed to be sleeping a lot more after she got her power."

"What about the StarReaders?" Ash pressed impatiently.

Jay kneaded the ground, "They're going to be the most difficult because they've mastered their powers while the others are still too new at them. Wolf Song apparently has incredible endurance, Dusk Howl says he only has to sleep once every four nights."

"Eagle Egg has sensitive whiskers, she can detect the slightest change of the weather or wind, it also gives her a perfect sense of what is within a small space around her. Fighting her at night would be a disadvantage," Jay added, thinking of all the strategic advantages these powers had.

"I don't understand Turtle Claw's power, Dusk Howl says he can 'summon the stars,' but I don't know if that means he can talk to the stars whenever he wants or something else. Lastly, Fox Whisper, hers is difficult to understand as well. Dusk Howl says she can communicate without speaking? I'm not sure how that would work, but he says she can speak directly into your head-"

Jay broke off, eyes widening as her heart thumped, an image as bright as lighting flashed in her mind. Shadows, red eyes, starlit snow, it all came back to her, Time, he had spoken into her head too. Frowning she returned to her present thoughts, "These cats are the others that we need to keep an eye on, aside from Lune and Blanche."

"But you really think that eliminating those two will bring their rule to an end? With so many others with powers, they could easily be replaced."

"I imagine that Dusk Howl has a plan, after all, he said that it was Lune's idea to move to the main valley, Blanche was even against it at first. If he can convince them they were wrong and become leader they'll probably follow his lead."

Ash's gray eyes flickered, "Are you sure he intends to become their new leader?"

Jay returned his look, her skin crawling as her paws turned cold, "Who else would be leader?"

Ash sat back and used a hindpaw to scratch behind his ear, keeping his eyes closed and turning his face away, "Maybe... a certain little she-cat that he's overly fond of?"

* * *

"Where's Ice?" Jay demanded, marching into the den. She swept past the nests and growled as she came to Ice's nest and found it empty, Dusk Howl's nest was empty too.

"What's going on?" Flint asked, yawning in his nest.

"Nothing, go back to sleep," Jay snapped, though that only succeeded to wake him up even more, as well as startling awake the other cats.

"Where are they?" she hissed to herself, exiting the den and standing in the middle of the shadow frothed camp.

"Maybe try following their scents?" Ash suggested, calmly pointing toward a trail of paw-prints.

Jay flattened her ears, "Stop acting smart and start following them!" She took off along the trail with the orange tom following behind, tail flared out behind her and eyes narrowed.

Her breath puffed in the air, but she could only see it in the faint flashes of silver light among the shadows. Using her whiskers to guide her, she drew in the scent and found her way, approaching ever closer to the stone valley. What are they doing there? Surely Dusk Howl isn't taking Ice to that place?!

As if she had wings on her feet, she swooped down from the ravine into the valley, pausing only long enough to catch her breath and sweep her gaze around the snow-filled valley before charging toward the old StarReader camp. With a growl in her throat she leaped up onto one of the StarReaders' old dens, glaring down at the two figures who were caught in her shadow.

"You!" she leaped down into the pure white snow, stalking toward Dusk Howl who stood between her and Ice. "Move!" she ordered, fur bristling as the ginger and brown tom calmly faced her, blocking her view of her daughter. Ash joined the scene, panting and glancing between the two cats, his eyes lit up at something but Jay wasn't paying attention.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Dusk Howl tilted his head, "You did grant me permission to teach Ice about the stars."

"Yes, but that does not entail forcing her to become leader of your crazy kin!" she mewed, outraged that he had taken advantage of her generosity.

"I would never force her to take on that leadership, however suitable she is for the position," Dusk Howl vowed.

Jay narrowed her eyes, "Then why is she so sound asleep she hasn't woken up yet, that's your Star Connector, isn't it?!" she accused, nodding at the arched silver stone that had been brushed clean of snow. Dusk Howl told her that when there was no ice it bridged over a shallow pool of water and cats would lie on it with some part touching the water to connect to the stars.

"Star Bridge," Dusk Howl corrected her, "Yes, but this is not the first time she has come here."

Jay flattened her ears, remembering how the other night she had followed Ice out here and then gotten distracted before she could find out why. So she came here, but for how long and why? Was Dusk Howl teaching her about the stars before I gave my permission? What am I saying, I've seen them in plenty of private conversations, of course he told her about it!

Glaring sharply at Dusk Howl she mewed, "I don't want you to talk to my daughter ever again."

The tom blinked slowly, "What will Ice say about that?"

Jay hissed.

"I think Ice is coming around again," Ash commented, nodding at the small she-cat. Jay stalked past Dusk Howl and roughly pushed him away, as Ice's eyes fluttered open Jay grabbed her by the scruff and pulled her from the Star Bridge, holding her against her chest to warm up her frozen daughter.

"Ice, Ice, are you okay?" Jay asked softly, shielding her from Dusk Howl's view.

Ice's green eyes were wide and they were as clear as crystal, Jay could almost see the sparkle of stars in her eyes. It gave her a chill, it felt like her daughter was slipping away far away from her, way out of reach. "Mother?" Ice asked, her tone was confused but her eyes betrayed nothing but brilliance. "You'll never guess what," Ice breathed, excitement shooting up in her voice.

Jay tensed, feeling herself grow distraught, "What is it?"

"The stars," Ice whispered, looking past her to the brilliant diamond studded sky and using a paw to reach up to the sky, "They gave me a gift."


	45. The Snake's Legacy

The day was black. Jay stood alone in a ravine of stone, the sky a dark gray overhead and the surrounding walls were thick with shadow; no color visible at all. The sun was in the sky though, as cold and dark as the stone beneath her paws, and yet it was too bright to look at.

Jay looked around, it was that strange moment when she knew it was a dream and yet she was aware of what she was doing. A slight noise echoed behind her, she turned around, wanting to call out but some invisible force kept her mouth sealed.

A moment later the shadows seemed to shiver and out stepped the self-named Time, his red eyes as unnatural as before, and he slipped from the shadows as simply as a snake from its hole. But this time his shape seemed finite and not some wobbly haze, she tensed, trying to read him. After a few moments she gave up, he may have the shape of a cat, but there was nothing distinctly cat-like about him, he may as well be a ghost. One thing was for sure though, this ghost wasn't Thyme.

"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice rang out against the stone walls and she felt the tremor of her voice mock her.

The creature continued to stare at her, its red eyes seemed to see every part of her mind and soul, as if her memories and thoughts were laid out plain as day before him. "I am Time," he repeated his answer from before and Jay felt a flash of anger.

"Okay, 'Time' why am I here? How did you come into my dreams?" she tried to take the upper paw by sounding assertive, but he continued staring at her and she involuntarily took a step back.

"Many cats walk with the stars and can enter a cats dream, and I come to give another warning. When the ice breaks, you must cause the moon to fall."

Jay flattened her ears, "Stop being so vague! You're as bad as any silver-tongued StarClan cat, I'm sure. Tell me what you mean!"

Time shook his head, "This is not my fight, it is not even my responsibility. The cats of the valley have ignored their ancestors for too long, perhaps the StarReaders were right to think that they knew best. They may be arrogant, but they are not ignorant."

The shadow cat turned away and Jay found that her paws would move for her, "Wait! What do you mean? Are you with the StarReaders?" she challenged angrily, glaring at the back of his head, this cat made her mind spin itself in circles, she couldn't understand what he was saying.

He turned back toward her, "I am with no one. I was one of the StarReaders' ancestors, but they sold my life to the stars in return for power, now I walk alone with a burden that could crush stone," his words were not bitter, there was no resentment in them, only weariness.

Jay took another step after him, wanting to understand what he was alluding to, only to find her paws found nothing beneath them and she was falling through the darkness, the air stolen from her chest. Jerking her eyes open she leaped to her paws, skin crawling and with heavy pants coming in-between her sharp in-takes of breath she looked around.

It was still nighttime, all the cats were in their nests, sleeping soundly. Her eyes instinctively sought out Ice, the gray she-cat was with her brothers in their honey-comb connected nests that branched out to all the other kits. She next checked Dusk Howl, narrowing her eyes at the tom, making sure he was sleeping soundly before relaxing.

Curling back down in the nest she shared with Ash she turned her face toward the entrance, sighing as a sliver of moonlight fell over her face. The cold air had lost its hallowing chill, the thaw was not far off. Jay felt like a dark cloud was shimmering on the horizon, the fight would not be easy, especially since they were terribly out-numbered and out-matched.

Logically, they had no chance of winning. After all, what could a paw-full of cats do against so many? Even if their opponents were not especially skilled, they would still be overwhelmed. Jay looked back at Ice's face, it had been nearly a moon since Ice had announced that she'd been given a gift.

Jay had been horrified, to say the least, and had banned Dusk Howl for a few days. But Ice's persistent begging gave him entrance back into the camp, though she wouldn't allow the two of them to be alone at any time after that. She was present for all their little meetings whether they knew it or not.

She'd been watching for any hints at what Ice's 'gift' was. In reality, she didn't even know if Ice had been referring to a power or something else, since neither Ice nor Dusk Howl would confirm or deny her accusations. Dusk Howl had told her that only Blanche's power allowed other cats to receive powers, and that they required a sacrifice. But Ice hadn't sacrificed anything, that Jay knew of at least, and their had been no medium. Unless the stars have already chosen her to be a leader, the voice in her mind whispered to her mockingly.

Jay closed her eyes tightly and curled into a ball, pressing against Ash who grumbled in his sleep and rolled over. She couldn't worry about Ice right now, she had a long day ahead of her and despite her anger at Dusk Howl for dragging Ice closer to the stars than necessary, she didn't think he would ever hurt Ice or force her to accept something against her will.

Taking a deep breath she let it out, the familiar scents around her soothed her from her worry and as she fell back to sleep, she'd almost forgotten the reason she'd been awoken.

* * *

"Are we going all the way to their camp?" Adder's face was furrowed in a frown as he stared out across the snow-swept hills.

Jay and Adder had left at dawn from their camp in the pines and made good time traveling to the main valley, despite the terrible conditions. The slightly warmer weather hadn't done much to melt the snow, but had made it soft so that they could no longer walk safely on the smooth surface. Instead, with each step the snow cracked and they fell a few paw-lengths deep in snow, sometimes it was deep enough that they had to dig their way out. But by sun-high they stood at the base of the other side of the mountains, snowflakes caught in their fur from ear to paw.

Jay shook her head to answer Adder's question, "I doubt that's where Amelia is, she should be meeting up with us soon," she mewed, looking up at the bright blue sky and wondering if Amelia could already hear them. She remembered the last time she'd seen the black she-cat, she had seemed so agitated, so moody. Jay had sensed that Amelia had been serious that time when she was contemplating leaving the mountains, but Jay still didn't believe she would leave until the action was over.

"Should we keep moving?" Adder asked, he seemed anxious about something and was shifting his weight from paw to paw.

Jay regarded him coolly, originally, she was going to come with Ash, but Adder had insisted on coming so she'd left Ash to train the cats and taken Adder instead. The young yellow tom had been restless lately, she wondered if the change of seasons was affecting him, the prospect of new-leaf after such a long, dark leaf-bare would make the most senior and battle-scared warrior jittery.

"Why did you want to come today?" Jay asked, plowing her way through the snow as if it wasn't there, making for the edge of StarReader territory. Ash didn't answer, following behind mutely in the path she created. "I know you have your own reasons for wanting to defeat the StarReaders, but I think we would all benefit from knowing why," she added, she'd wondered for a long time what Adder's aim was with the StarReaders as he'd been spying on them since before she had.

The young tom continued the quiet game and Jay sighed as they came to the edge of the forest. The StarReaders had expanded their territory to the western side of the valley so that they almost controlled the area where the mountain pass was, Jay narrowed her eyes, if any cat wanted to leave, now was the time to do it.

After a while of walking the gray she-cat stopped abruptly, striking the snow with her tail, "Where is she?" she hissed, glaring around the snow-covered hills as if she expected to see the black she-cat sitting there with a mocking look on her face.

"Could she be in the StarReader territory?" Adder asked, face still turned toward the forest.

Jay growled, tail lashing, the last thing she wanted was to go trekking through enemy territory and give them wind that they had something planned, but the only logical explanation that they couldn't find Amelia was that the black she-cat was spying right now.

"We can go up to the border, no further," Jay growled, whipping toward the forest and stalking through the snow.

Adder perked up and took the lead, pushing his way through the chest-deep snow as it wasn't there. Jay continued watching him, wondering why he was suddenly so energetic. She knew that there were no bad reasons for him to have joined her, but what was his true goal? Like her, he saw defeating the StarReaders as a means to an end, he did not particularly hate them and although he was repulsed by what they did, not enough to risk his neck over it.

"Do you have any family, Adder?" she asked, gauging his reaction. But nothing was betrayed by the back she stared at. "You were barely eight moons when I first met you, were you already on your own back then?" she continued, seeing if she could push him into revealing something. He was stubbornly silent and Jay lashed her tail, wondering if she dared probe further or abandon the attempt.

She decided to risk angering him, "I always wondered why you were spying on the StarReaders back then, was it just idle curiosity or were you trying to protect someone?"

Adder sent her a stony glare over his shoulder and she sighed, he wasn't going to admit anything this way. "Listen, Adder, I like you a lot. You have a lot of potential as a soldier and you have a solid head on your shoulders. But I still don't know what it is you really want, I can't help you if I don't know that. I'm telling you the same thing I told Dusk Howl, if you're not going to be completely honest, I'm not going to trust you."

Adder slowed in front of her, but he didn't stop or look back. "You think about it," she told him as she swept past him, taking the lead again as the individual branches of the naked trees came untangled themselves from the blur of brown, they were almost there.

After a few more silent minutes passed Jay heard Adders paw-steps stop behind her. They were just coming to the rise of the last hill before the forest and Jay stopped and looked down at the yellow tom who was staring down into the snow.

"I don't like to talk about it. I don't want cats to know and it feels like I'm betraying something by telling any cat. It doesn't even matter, I'll get what I want, or I won't, despite what I say," he mewed quietly, brown eyes tense and crackling.

"I want to know anyways," Jay encouraged, feeling her heart soar with victory.

Adder looked up at her and his stare hardened, "Fine, I'm Python's son and I'm trying to save my two littermates who were captured by the StarReaders."

Jay had put together a few theories, but that revelation sent her reeling, "You're Python's-?!" her surprised mew was more of a screech and she hurried back down to him, standing nose-to-nose and staring him straight in the eye. It dawned on her that she'd felt a sense of nostalgia with him more than once, but honestly, the two were not even comparable at all.

Python had been large and stocky, Adder was small and lithe; Python had dark fur, Adder had a pale yellow-cream pelt. Python had long whiskers and smaller ears, Adder had floppy ears and thin whiskers. Only by their eyes could any cat see any similarity, and even then, Adder's eyes were much rounder, giving a more youthful expression compared to his father's.

Jay was still gaping when she digested the other half of the information, "And you say you had littermates? And they were captured?"

Adder nodded, turning away and stalking in a small circle, "Did you know about the gang of young cats that had sort of taken over the passage route in and out of the mountains, demanding ridiculous demands if cats wanted to cross through?" Jay nodded, "Well, the group was headed by my two littermates. When we were born Python wanted us to help him with his dream of taking down the Ivy Cats, but we weren't trilled with the idea of being our father's pawns. We left and my littermates decided to cause trouble by starting their own group and aiding the Ivy Cats against my father, but I wasn't interested in any of that and left them to sort it all out by themselves. The next thing I hear my father's dead and my littermates were defeated and taken captive by the StarReaders. I wanted to rescue them so I started spying on the StarReaders, but I couldn't get anywhere on my own, that's when I met you You wanted to defeat the StarReaders but you couldn't get any help so you gave it up for a time, but after a while you wanted to try again. I befriended Dusk Howl who gave me updates on my littermates and then we were able to join up with you," Adder shrugged.

Jay was stunned but understanding, she probably would have done the same if it had been her in his situation, "And you didn't want to tell any cat that your father and siblings had been at odds, especially since their clash indirectly led to the StarReaders winning." Jay paused, "Who was your mother?" she asked after a moment, she'd never heard of Python having a mate before, or kits for that matter.

"She left as soon as we could eat solid food. Left Python, left the mountains, and left us. She had been a rogue from outside the mountains and she'd come to help defeat the Ivy Cats, like so many did, I don't know why exactly she changed her mind, but she did," Adder shrugged, sitting down in the snow.

Jay watched him in silence, he looked drained after telling her all of that and she felt a little guilty for bringing up what were probably bad memories, or maybe even happy memories that were long gone. Family break-ups were rarely pretty, she knew that much for sure from watching her own family growing up. It hadn't even broken up, just split up.

"Thank you for telling me this, Adder," she mewed, "I promise I'll do all I can to help you save your littermates. But for now, let's go find Amelia and see what she can tell us," Adder nodded at her words and she turned, leading him up the hill.

She seemed to ingest the information fairly well, after all, she seemed to have heard just about everything since she lived there, but she still wondered at it. Adder wanted to save his littermates who had been captured, that much made sense, but he had said that his littermates had been part of the mountain-pass group, which meant that his siblings hadn't just left their father, they had become enemies. What had Python done to deserve that? Jay could remember that there had been some connection between Python and the pass cats, but to think this was it... Even if she had left her family, turning her claws on her father was still unthinkable. I guess cats can be very different.

"This is the border," Jay growled, stopping on front of the trees, just a little further in was her first den, it chafed her that all the hard work she'd put into it had been for naught.

"Are we going in?"

Jay glared at him, "How many times do I have to tell you? We can't take that kind of risk right now," she growled irritably, snapping her gaze from him back to the snow-driven trees. A cat scent was drifting toward them and it wasn't friendly, "We should get out of here before some cat sees us."

"But what about Amelia?" Adder protested, "And my siblings? You just promised to help me save them," his brown eyes were sparking as he faced her.

"We can't help any cat if we get found out, there hasn't been any sacrifices since leaf-bare so they should be fine. They can sit tight until we can rescue them," Jay growled, stalking past him back turned toward the forest. In reality she was as frustrated that this trip had accomplished next to nothing, and although she was confident in her own skills, she was still wary of the StarReaders and their 'gifts.'

Right now they should get home as soon as possible and if they couldn't find Amelia she could go again with Ash and find Moss. "Leaving so soon?" her blood turned cold at the silky voice. Eyes narrowed she stopped moving, looking over her shoulder back up the slope. Adder had whipped around the face the stranger and Jay recognized the white fur and pale violet eyes in an instant, Lune, the more unpleasant and unpredictable one between the mother and daughter pair.

"It's been a while, hasn't it?" the white she-cat mewed, sitting primly with her tail over her paws, her eyes drinking them in as if they were delicious morsels of prey to be picked at in leisure.

"We were just leaving," Jay mewed coldly, turning to face her fully and motioning for Adder to get behind her, the yellow tom didn't obey, coming to stand by her side instead.

"I see, but why did you come here? Were you looking for something perhaps?" Lune asked, giving a mroww of laughter, "Perhaps a big black wolf that strayed too far from your side?"

Jay stared at her calmly, so Amelia is still in the valley, I was beginning to think she really had left. "What do you know?"

Lune's eyes were sparkling, "I know that you won't find her. I killed her."

Jay's ears flattened and a snarl broke out on her face involuntarily, "Liar."

"Am I really?" Lune drew one of her forepaws up against her chest as if she were offended, "I've never lied, and should an untruth pass my lips, I make it the truth."

Jay couldn't tell if Lune was trying to unnerve her or if she really thought that she had killed Amelia, or maybe she really did kill her, Jay shook her head, that was impossible, she had more than enough faith that the black she-cat couldn't be killed by someone like that.

"If you don't believe me," Lune continued, standing up, "You can wait for the thaw and see her body for yourself, right now it's buried beneath ice and snow, but I'm more that willing to show you when that all melts away. Of course," Lune paused, unsheathing the claws of the one paw raised in the air, "You'll have to survive that long."

Jay blinked and the she-cat disappeared, before she could wonder how she felt a prick of pain. Jumping in fright, she and Adder shied away from the white cat who had materialized by their side, her claws cutting through Jay's thin ear.

Jay's belly boiled at the pain but her paws froze in fright, how was that possible? To get from one spot to another so fast that she couldn't even see it, unless, she used her gift that Dusk Howl mentioned, he never told me what it was,after all.

"I could kill you both and you wouldn't see it coming," Lune's voice had taken a lofty and unstable tone, Jay got shivers down her back as she side-glanced the white cat. Lune seemed disappointed by the lack of a response and her pale eyes grew discontented, "Well, I won't kill you for now," she mewed, stepping away and speaking as if she was granting a huge favor by not killing them. "But if you push your luck any further, even my mother's fancy for you won't keep you safe." Lune chuckled to herself as she propelled herself up the slope, pausing just long enough to look back at them with a lopsided smirk and then sprint off.

When the sound of her paws-steps had faded Jay let out a sigh of relief, every hair on her pelt was on end with tension and she could feel her heart pound deep in her chest. "That cat seems a little..." Adder started, trailing off when he couldn't find the word.

"Crazy? Insane? Stupid? Please, pick one," Jay mewed, she felt like laughing herself but she knew the situation was too serious. "She must be awfully confident to come here and show off her power like that. Dusk Howl says he's never seen how it works, just that she can move incredibly fast. But that was more than just moving fast... it was something else," Jay frowned, looking down at her gray paws.

The cut on her ear dripped scarlet drops onto the snow, staining it red. "We'd better leave," Jay mewed, using a serious tone as she turned away, "I don't trust those cats, they know we're here and that we're planning something, best to leave them guessing."

Adder nodded, although he was clearly disappointed with his head and tail hanging low, he didn't argue, he knew it was more important to win the war than a single battle. Jay nodded at him and faced forward, leaping through the snow like waves, the mountains looming in the distance all around them, sending blue shadows out over the snow-filled valley and their spirits.

* * *

"You're back?" Jay greeted Time with a suspicious glare as he once again invaded her dreams. He didn't answer, staring at her from the shadows, the only clearly physical form being his fiercely glowing eyes. "Well?" Jay growled, "What do you want?"

Time took a step out of the shadows, his black form seemed like water, it was solid enough to look at but she felt she could put her paw right through him. "Do you remember the warning?" His gaze was locked on hers and she nodded, "Do you know what will happen the first full moon after the thaw?"

This time she shook her head, couldn't he just say what he wanted to say and be done with it? Her tail twitched with irritably as he fell silent again for a spell. But this was too important for her to risk being rude, she kept her jaws closed and watched him, wondering how credible he really was. Was he even real? Or just a figment of her imagination? Not that she thought she could make such an annoying character. But he had said that he had been part of the StarReaders ancestors, perhaps he was trying to pressure her into attacking before they were ready and at the same time warn the StarReaders.

"I've told you before, I am a friend to no one," Time growled, reading her thoughts, and giving a first hint at emotion she'd ever gotten from him.

"Then why are you helping me?" Jay challenged, stepping toward the shadow cat, "Why are you telling me things that will aid me? Unless they will actually hurt me?" she growled, narrowing her eyes again.

Time lashed his tail, "You just don't listen, do you? I have no interest in whether you or your friends live or die. I do not care if the StarReaders take over the whole mountain range and slaughter every cat they encounter. However, I was asked by a rather important cat to do this," he growled, pausing his pacing to confront her.

"I thought you said you were a friend to no one?"Jay smirked, having caught him.

"She is not a friend, but I am partial to her. She's been rather unjust with you, I allowed you to see her once," he added, "In your daughter's dreams."

Jay started, an image of looking down a long tunnel to see Ice and a black cat with amber eyes. That cat?She also remembered the piercing look she'd been given. One so familiar it shook her heart, an unwelcome look, a look that said 'why are you here? You're not wanted.'

Jay grit her teeth, "She asked you to warn me?" Time nodded, "Why didn't she just tell Ice? Or tell me herself?"

"Ice seems to have her own paws full at the moment, and she is unable to visit you herself. It seems you've cut off connection to your ancestors, although you remain attached to the stars. It is peculiar, now, would you allow me to finish telling you what I came here to say?" the black tom asked edgily. Jay sighed and nodded, she was never going to be able to understand these star cats.

"I mentioned before how I became the way I am, detached from everything and separated from all. It seems Lune thinks it is a good idea to become like me," Time mewed, sounding sarcastic.

Jay shot her head up, "What do you mean?"

"Long ago I underwent a ceremony in which I was granted a large amount of power, of course, it was not by choice and the power is more of a curse. The group of cats who performed the ceremony and later became the StarReaders were then able to grant the leader powers that they would pass on to each new leader at their death. Lune wants to perform the ceremony, but instead of sacrificing herself, she wants to sacrifice the remaining captives and the StarReaders with weaker connection to the stars instead. If that were to happen she would become like I am, except without the curse, she would be able to remain in the world of the living for all time. I, in turn, would disappear as my powers would be recalled to her and I would simply cease to be," Time explained.

"So your warning is out of the want of self-preservation?" Jay growled.

Time's tail tip twitched, "On the contrary, I would happily pass from this existence I lead. It is a cursed life, if you could call it life. Passing on would be a dream come true in my opinion and this Lune will suffer from the curse eventually, not even she could console herself with living forever."

Jay could feel her insides twist, as much as a fantasy story this sounded, the fact remained that a being like Time existed and there was no reason another one couldn't come into being. "So if we don't beat the StarReaders before the first full moon after the thaw, Lune will become unbeatable..."

Time nodded, "The night it waning. As I said, I do not care one way or another. I have done my duty in telling you this so you will see no more of me. The future is yours, if you truly want your kits to live happily, you'll heed what I have said. Good luck, Jay."


	46. When the Moon is Gone

The time had finally come. Jay had been awaiting this moment with a mix of anxiety and excitement. It started late in the night, she'd been thinking out the last few details of their plan of attack when the wind changed direction and it tore through the ravine, sending clumps of snow flying off the pine branches and filling the night air with noise.

The wind was warm on her frozen nose and it wasn't long before she could hear the steady drip of icicles melting. The thaw had begun. Jay sat in the dark with her eyes closed, her nose to the wind, enjoying the fresh feel of a warm, wet, wind on her face as it blew through the forest.

She could hear murmuring from the den and she looked to see cats tumbling out, sleepy-eyed and rumple-furred. "Look! The trees are dancing!" Breeze cried, hopping around in the dark.

"Why is it so loud?" Ice grumbled, sitting down and rubbing her eyes with a paw.

"It isn't cold!" Panther mewled in delight, jumping and blinking in amazement as a drop of water fell on her nose.

"What's going on?" Flint asked in wonder, staring around as if he were in a whole new world. Though, with the wild wind and the excitement of the changing seasons, it was no surprise, especially as this was the first thaw they'd experienced, and quite a lively one at that.

Jay walked over to them, purring as she saw that Silver was leading Thunderstorm around by the tail, describing what was happening. "It's the thaw," she told the group of kits that had congregated under the bare oak tree.

Rusty looked at her, "What does that mean?"

"It means," she mewed, looking up at the small path of star-sprinkled sky, "That soon the snow will melt and this tree will bloom."

The kits looked up in awe at the tree, none of the kits had lived through a thaw before, and Jay wondered if she could rightfully keep considering these young cats kits, as they were now all, with the exception of Panther, up to her shoulder in height.

"Yes, the thaw, it's no longer leaf-bare but new-leaf, and the flowers will bloom, the grass will grow, the prey will run, and the days will be bright and warm," the gray queen sighed, she desired with all her heart that those things were the only things in their future. But there was one dark snow-cloud left on their horizon.

She looked around, Ash was sitting grumpily in the entrance of the den, too tired to be excited, but too restless to go back to sleep. Adder was wandering around the edge of the camp, sniffing the fresh air and flicking his ears as a clump of snow fell on his head. Even Crow had lumbered form his nest, moving stiffly but with new vigor around the camp. Well, since everyone's awake, now is as good a time as ever.

Jay signaled with her tail to Ash and Silver, they came closer and she leaped onto the roots of the oak tree, calling to Adder and Crow, waiting for the cats to gather quietly before her. "Everyone, the thaw has begun, and so it heralds the time to strike."

The cats visibly tensed, a certain amount of excitement and fear radiated from them. "We have been training hard for this moment and the time has now come, before the StarReaders can regain their full strength after a long leaf-bare. While they've been struggling to feed themselves we've lived with full bellies and warm dens. Right now we have the edge, and I intend to use it," Jay mewed. It was the most reasonable excuse she could find for attacking now instead of later when they were more prepared, there was no way she could explain a cat like Time to them..

"Because of their numbers, we already know we can not attack traditionally. Instead, we will have to focus our efforts on Blanche and Lune, the main causes of the StarReaders horrific crimes. Thanks to information Dusk Howl gave me," Jay paused and gave a noticeable nod of thanks to the tom, trying not to cringe, "We know that several of the cats are also likely to give us trouble, asides from those two. But with any luck, we can eliminate the mother and daughter before we have to face them."

"And what is our plan for defeating them?" Silver asked, her blue eyes were narrowed and sparking with a warrior's spirit.

"It's simple, really. Blanche likes to wander around at night, we will capture her first. Since she is blind, I do not expect much trouble with that, even if she does have other abilities. It is imperative that we are successful; Blanche is the head of the entire society of cats right now. The cats will be panicked and distressed, they will be willing to do anything to get her back."

"We're going to take a hostage?" Panther looked worried, her gray eyes wide and round.

Jay nodded and she could tell more than a few cats seemed uncomfortable with the idea, "I know this isn't the most noble way to do things," she conceded, "But it is less noble to sacrifice helpless cats for the sake of unnecessary power. We will demand that the StarReaders release all their captives unharmed and any of the cats that were forced to become StarReaders who wish to leave."

Silver was nodding in approval and Thunderstorm's tail was lashing, his paws kneading the soft ground, "But are we going to let Blanche go then? That's not really defeating them."

Jay shook her head, "It's more than enough, especially for now. Defeating Lune does not seem possible and if we cannot kill her, then Blanche must stay alive."

"Why?" Adder was looking frustrated.

Jay met his gaze, "Lune is more dangerous, I trust her morality less. As Blanche's daughter, should Blanche die, she would become leader and have full control. It would also make Dusk Howl's job of leading the StarReaders back to their old ways more difficult. For now we will focus on rescuing the prisoners. When we have the numbers to defeat Lune, then we can attack again."

There's no way around how few we are and how many they are. Even if we were to just fight the cats with powers, we would have our paws full since there are not enough full-grown cats to match. But if we save the captives, then Lune won't be able to go through with her ceremony and any cat that remains with her will be choosing their fate. This is the best I can come up with, I hope it will work.

"If that's all we're going to do, why did we work so hard to train?" Eagle challenged her, looking angry that they weren't planning to fight.

Jay looked at the young tom, her heart ached for a moment as she was reminded of his mother, that terrible atrocity needed to be avenged but now was not the time to do it. "We can't fight them while they still have the captives," she insisted, "Or they could defeat us before our fight begins by threatening to kill the captives. This is the best way for us to ensure the safety of as many cats as possible. We must be patient and wait for when the time's right. As for why we've been training, it isn't unlikely that at the end of the deal when we have released Blanche that they will attack. Our goal will be to retreat, but we must be ready to fight our way out at that point."

The cats still seemed discontented, except for Ash, who had helped her devise this plan, but eventually they seemed to accept it. "Alright, we will carry out this mission on the night of the new moon," Jay mewed, lifting her nose to the sky where the waning moon hung, a little less than a half moon. "Now let us return to our nests and prepare for this with all we've got."

* * *

The next few days were the hardest that Jay had ever lived. Although she was used to little sleep, she was not used to the constant activity she exerted on herself. She was basically feeding every cat single-pawed while the others put the last efforts into preparing themselves for this stealth mission.

But the day had finally come, the receding snow had exposed patches of ground on the forest floor, leaving muddy traps for unsuspecting paws. As dusk settled on the pine trees Jay woke from her first real sleep in days to find every single cat of her group sound asleep. For the afternoon she'd ordered all the cats to rest up for the night ahead.

But now it was time to wake them all up and to move out. First she went to Ash, nudging the fiery orange tom who was curled up asleep with Panther snoozing on his side, Jay purred at the picture-perfect father-daughter scene. Ash's eyes slid open at the touch and he nodded at her without a word, sitting up and waking Panther.

Jay next woke Silver, Eagle, Adder, and all the other young cats. Crow was already awake with Thunderstorm, going over herbs one last time and wrapping them up in neat bundles, as quick and deft as any seeing Clan medicine-cat.

The cats moved slowly, as it they were awake in a dream and Jay could feel the heavy atmosphere weighing down on her own shoulders as well. This was the night where all their fates would be decided. No matter what happened, it wouldn't be the same as before.

As soon as she lifted her tail the cats fell into line and she led them out of the camp, she paused just long enough to wave her tail at Crow, the only one staying behind, "We'll be back, and we'll be victorious," her clear words seemed to shake the cats and they started lifting their heads up and looking around as if they'd awoken from sleep.

"Of course we will! We're us!" Flint shouted out from the back and their was a ripple of laughter as Ice cuffed his ears, hissing at him to be quiet.

Jay led the increasingly spirited cats the rest of the way through the ravine and then through the hollow gray valley, the rocks and snow mingling together with the shadows to produce the perfect colorless environment. Jay was glad to see that the snow had mostly fallen off or been melted from the narrow, twisting path that led out of the valley.

Up they went without much trouble, there was a moment where Thunderstorm slipped and nearly lost his balance over the edge of the path, but Silver was there to catch him and she put him between herself and the solid mountainside, even though the path was barely big enough for two cats to stand side to side.

Through the black-out tunnel they went, and the younger cats, and Ash, had fun with sounds as they tested to see who could make the oddest, most disturbing sound echo around them all. They had to stop when Thunderstorm nearly clawed Ash's face off for messing around.

Down the other side they trekked uniformly off the mountainside and looped around the StarReader territory, all the while it got darker, chillier, and later. The new moon left the night nearly pitch black, the stars barely bright enough to light up the tops of the mountain peaks. Jay paused at the border, the trees casting long, dark shadows over them and blocking out what starlight there was.

She halted and the cats stopped behind her as their paws touched the shadows. "Moss is here," Jay growled, looking at Ash.

The orange tom shrugged, "I asked her if she could find a couple cats to help out and meet us here," he mewed coolly.

"And of course you didn't tell me," Jay sighed, watching the tortoiseshell she-cat stalk out of the woods, followed by four others.

"Ash," Moss ignored Jay and walked up to the orange tom, saying something about hoping tonight's mission would be successful.

Jay ignored her as well and took in the cats that had followed Moss. As she'd noted before, there were four of them, all scrawny and skinny, with a dark look in their eyes. Jay didn't recognize them, though she imagined a few of them she must have met before.

"Who are these cats?" Hail walked up to her side, peering at the cats who were partly hidden by shadow.

"They're going to help us, apparently, I need to speak with Ash first," she mewed, turning to Ash and Moss who had moved a little ways away from the rest of the cats to discuss things. Jay's group was keeping it's own distance from these strange cats and she wasn't surprised, after all, none of them had been expecting to meet up with any others and they didn't look particularly friendly.

Moss and Ash were speaking in quick, hushed tones, whispering back and forth. "May I know what you two are speaking about?" Jay asked testily, tail twitching impatiently behind her.

Ash looked up at her and jerked his head at Moss, signaling for her to explain as Jay turned expectantly toward her. The tortoiseshell sighed, her eyes glimmering in the dark, "I managed to convince a few rogues to help out. They're not here to fight, only to help get the captive cats out and away after you get them released," the she-cat mewed.

Jay's ears twitched, "I assume you've been keeping her updated on our plans?" she addressed Ash who shrugged in response.

"We needed some cat to keep us informed on what was happening in the valley. And since your friend was a no-show, I had to tell Moss," the orange tom defended himself, "Besides, this is fine, it won't interfere with our plans, in fact, it'll make us look stronger with more cats. Plus these cats really know the valley, they can get the captives away and hidden in the fastest way possible should the StarReaders change their minds after we release Blanche back to them."

Jay sighed, he had a point, although she didn't like the idea of trusting cats she didn't know with such a role in her plans. "Alright, Moss," she looked the cat dead in the eye, "You're in charge of them. You'll wait at the border for when the captives will be released, okay?"

They agreed and set the time and place. If the captives weren't released by morning, the rogues were to scatter to ensure their own safety and until then they would remain at the border by the sinking sand- close to where Jay's first den had been.

Now it was time for Jay's troops to settle into their respective groups. "Ash, Silver, Dusk Howl, you're in my group- we will capture Blanche. Adder, you lead Eagle, Hail, and Flint right behind us, as reinforcements or to cut off Blanche's escape should she make a break. Ice, you lead Rusty and Breeze as messengers between us and Thunderstorm, who is our appointed healer. Thunderstorm, you and Panther will wait at the point where we will bring Blanche when we kidnap her, should things go wrong, Panther, it is your job to guide Thunderstorm away. Is everyone clear?"

Jay's whispered orders were met with determined nods and silent stares. Jay noticed Panther looking with relief at the lanky gray tom she was to protect. The gray queen smiled, it had been on Breeze's and Rusty's request that she'd given Panther the least dangerous job.

The groups filed together and moved out, silently passing through the territory so that in a few moments, had Jay not known they were there, she would not be able to tell there were other patrols about. She felt a glow of pride for her cats, especially her kits. Right now they were following Adder and Dusk Howl, since they were the two who had the best idea about where Blanche would be right now, Blanche often wandered on the path the cats took when they had been heading back to the Stone Valley with a sacrifice, so the path was no often used by cats other than Blanche herself.

As Jay slipped expertly through the foreign terrain, as if she'd grown up right in this forest, she felt the old sense of hunger for battle and pride in her skills mount. It was the old her inside, experiencing her first rebirth in a long while. The lust for blood and battle was terrifyingly strong and appealing.

Jay glanced around her, wondering if the other cats had noticed any change in her, but they seemed focused on keeping silent as they slipped in and out of shadows, passing among the thick undergrowth as easily as a light breeze. Jay halted as she heard a low hiss behind her, letting Ash take the lead of the patrol she dropped back behind the other patrols and circled back around.

Ice was trying to free her gray fur from a briar bush, her paws slipping in a mud puddle as she tried to pull herself free, her green eyes desperately looked up at Jay's approach, but they only hardened when she recognized her.

"I just got a little caught," Ice muttered, flattening her ears and pulling harder, slipping on her rump and splashing mud all over her fur.

The young she-cat hissed and looked down at her soiled fur and Jay watched her coolly, "If you want help, you need just ask."

"You would just love that, wouldn't you?" Ice growled viciously.

"Ice, you are my daughter, there is no reason for you to take that tone with me," Jay mewed seriously, trying not to let her feelings of battling anger and sadness mix with the dangerous presence rising within her.

"Just because I'm your daughter doesn't give you any right to mess with what I choose to do with my life, I'll follow whatever path I want!" Ice shot a defiant glare at her and yanked herself free, leaving a tuft of gray fur behind. The young cat stalked past, "Better catch up with your patrol, you don't to leave Dusk Howl out of your sight for too long, do you?" Ice sneered and turned on her paws.

"Ice, wait-" Jay started, taking a step after her daughter, but she was already gone. Ever since she had started interrupting Ice's meetings with Dusk Howl, her daughter had grown increasingly hostile toward her. She considered running after her and forcing her to listen to what she had to say, make her listen to the reasons she had obstructed Ice's path to the stars, but she didn't trust the rumbling storm in her spirit. She was liable to lash out at anyone, even her daughter. They could talk after this was over.

Speeding up, Jay caught back up with the others who had settled into a covert position. She slid in next to Adder, questioning him with her eyes why they had stopped. "Blanche is just up ahead, Dusk Howl says if we get any closer she'll sense us, but lucky us, she's alone." The yellow tom's eyes were glowing with energy and Jay nodded, peeking around the bush they were crouched behind, searching for the white she-cat.

A familiar eerie white glow was visible in the deep distance and Jay drew in the scents, it was true, Blanche was alone. Although suspicious of their good luck, she wasn't going to complain. "As planned, we'll surround her and then capture her," she murmured. Ash, Dusk Howl, Silver, and herself split up to circle around the she-cat while Adder fell back to where the younger cats were to tell them to stand-by and get in position. To help if anything went wrong.

Jay pushed worried thoughts about her children out of her mind as she focused on her job, stepping as stealthily as she could while moving fast enough to keep up with the others movements. Blanche's incandescent fur made it easy to keep an eye on the target and hide in the shadows at the same time.

Jay chose a small dip in the ground behind a tree to slip in while waiting for the others to get in position. Looking around, Dusk Howl was in a holly bush, his gray eyes staring out darkly toward Blanche. Jay wondered how he felt about this, after all, Blanche had been his leader for a long time and he seemed to have more respect for her than Lune. But she trusted him to do his job and that was all she needed.

Silver was pressed against a tree in plane sight, but her silver fur was perfect camouflage against the pale aspen bark and Ash was crouched on a low branch in an ash tree, within easy leaping distance of the ground. Jay nodded to herself, everyone was in position, ready to move at her signal. All that was left was to get a clear view of the target.

Blanche seemed to be moving slowly and at a wandering pace, the glow zigged and zagged, sometimes with short bursts of speed tempering the slow steps. It was almost mesmerizing, like the flitting dance of a butterfly that you watched at the edges of your vision.

Finally Blanche came close enough that the glow off her fur was not veiled by shadow but clear as crystal. Jay tensed as she noticed Blanche's white eyes widen, they had been noticed so now was the time to move. Leaping around the tree, she gave a short call to the others as she charged toward Blanche.

The hunger for battle had nearly taken control and she seemed to fly toward the white she-cat. The cascade of soft paw-steps surrounded her as they closed in on the blind she-cat only made her hunger to be the first to reach her. Jay leaped on the cat's back before Blanche could react and pinned her to the ground, unsurprised by the soft struggles and hisses of resistance- what chance was there that this old, blind cat who was used to leading was a powerful fighter?

"As easy as I thought," she mewed scornfully, looking gleefully around at the exhilarated faces around her, their eyes were aglow with adrenaline as they glanced around at each other, excited and nervous. "First step is complete, Blanche is our hostage."


	47. When Ice Shatters

Jay paced over the muddy mulch, it was cold against her paws as her eyes scanned the edges of the shadows. The constant shifting and murmuring, fluffing and whispering of the cats around her only raised the tension higher. Her eyes kept glancing back at Blanche who laid pinned to the ground with Adder on top of her, her white eyes staring as if she saw everything.

Jay flattened her ears, why was Blanche's pelt so... drawing? There was no way to conceal the way it seemed to suck in all the light, even on a night with no moon. All the cats were keeping their distance, as if Blanche was something not of this world. Jay's ears flattened even more as she saw Ice inching toward Dusk Howl.

Jay started to take a few steps in their direction, but Dusk Howl noticed her and shook his head at Ice. The young gray she-cat gave Jay a furious look and turned her back, refusing to be comforted by the light-hearted teasing of her brothers.

Only Panther, who had been quietly sitting with her littermates since the cats had regrouped had managed any conversation with the obstinate she-cat. Jay hoped Panther's gentle nature would influence Ice for the better someday, but it didn't seem she was going to make a big change anytime soon.

But Jay couldn't help it, they were in enemy territory with the leader of a powerful and strange group as their hostage, now was not the time to fix things. Despite all the things Jay had done, hostage situations were not very familiar to her. Of course, she remembered when Ash had taken her kits hostage, she had been enraged and been willing to do anything and stop at nothing to get them back.

But it was different with a leader, especially when it was the leader who usually made important decisions. Normally it would be to their advantage to have the cats unprepared for this, but this time it was Lune who would be making the decisions. What would the she-cat do?

"Ash is sure taking his time coming back," she growled, addressing Silver who was leaning against Thunderstorm, kneading the ground with her front paws while she glared into the shadows.

"What if they killed him and are planning to take Blanche back by force?" the lanky gray tom wondered, ears pricked to their limit as he listened to the surrounding sounds.

"Unlikely, Eagle would have probably reported back by now, Ash was most likely trying to negotiate the terms," Jay murmured. She had sent Ash to tell the StarReaders about Blanche's capture and the conditions set for her release. The captives were to be released and then Blanche would be dropped off at a specific point where she could be retrieved unharmed. Eagle had been sent to shadow Ash, being the fastest runner of the younger cats, and was to return to them if things went wrong.

Jay lashed her tail, it was agony to wait. She could feel herself getting more and more wound up, she also noticed Blanche's eyes keeping a firm track of her, even though she was blind. The fur bristled along her neck as she met the pale gaze, "There's something wrong here," she murmured to the nearest cat, which happened to be her son, Flint.

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking up at her with wide eyes.

Jay scolded herself for worrying her kit, "Nothing, nevermind," she mewed lightly, trying to herd him over to the other kits but he stood his ground, meeting her eyes more firmly.

"Mother, I'm not a kit anymore, if you have concerns over something, I would like to know," his voice was gentle but not light.

Jay regarded her son almost in awe, when had he grown into such a fine young cat? He was nearly as large as she was and smooth muscles flowed under his sleek, dark pelt. He was nearly a perfect reflection of his father, except his eyes were hers and were as wise and compassionate as Coalspark's had been fiery and ambitious.

Jay gave a small nod to him, "Blanche is too calm, if the StarReaders don't agree to our demands we'll kill her. She knows this, so why is she so...?"

"Content?" Flint filled in, turning his eyes to the elderly white she-cat, there was a vague interest in them and maybe even a little guilt as he looked at the hostage. "I don't know... maybe she's too old to be afraid of death?" he wondered outloud.

Jay sighed, "Is any cat too old or young to be afraid of death? It's a terrifying thing, really, how can anyone accept it so calmly?" Jay answered.

Flint bobbed his head and shook his shoulders, "I'm not that scared of death either, I think it will be warm, like meeting an old friend after a long time," he caught her concerned look and purred, "Not that I want to die either, I'm just not scared by it. In any case, I think that's how she feels as well," he mewed, nodding at the prisoner.

Although they were too far away for her to hear what they were talking about, Blanche gave a single, slow nod as if agreeing with what Flint had said. Jay felt uncomfortable, death was scary because it was unknown, and there was no way to know anything about it until you died. She couldn't comprehend her son's sentiment.

She was about to say something more when her ears caught the swift patter of pounding paw-steps and she turned, claws ready before her nose caught up to her eyes and Eagle burst through the shadowed greenery, stumbling and sides heaving.

The cats murmured as she met the young tom, "Eagle, what happened?" she asked sharply, eyes scanning the shadows behind him for Ash.

Eagle's gold eyes glimmered and he gave her a firm nod, unable to respond as he tried to catch his breath. Jay led him over to sit down on the opposite side of where Blanche was, all the cats gathering around the messenger while Adder lashed his tail angrily as he remained on guard for Blanche.

When Eagle had got his breath back he reported what had happened, "Ash and Lune were able to negotiate about the prisoners. In return for letting the captives and anyone else who wishes to leave go, we will return Blanche unharmed. But there were a few conditions. One, Ash will be their prisoner until we release Blanche so that we can't kill her as soon as the captives are free or else Ash dies too. Second, only one cat will escort Blanche to the release point and only one cat will escort Ash. The release point will be the battleground of the Ivy cats and Python's cats... I don't know where that is though," Eagle mewed, looking at her worriedly.

Jay waved her tail, "I know. Don't worry. When will the StarReaders release them?"

"Just after midnight, they will be sent to the place where Moss and her cats are waiting. The exchange of Blanche for Ash will be made just before dawn," Eagle finished reporting, eyes glowing with excitement, "I think this is really going to work!"

The others were already making celebratory sounds and giving each other relieved looks but Jay was perturbed by this knowledge. If her mentor had taught her one thing, it was never to assume that the enemy's plan was reasonable. There was a catch, a loophole that they thought that they could slither through.

Narrowing her eyes, she turned away into the dark forest, using the silence to help clear her head. "If they took Ash prisoner, couldn't they simply demand to exchange Blanche for Ash without releasing the other prisoners? They didn't even try to negotiate that term..." trailing off she could feel prickles in her belly. Was this too easy? Could it be that the StarReaders had grown tired of taking care of all their captives and they saw this an easy way to get rid of them?

But no, their goal was to rule the valley and all who lived there, this would be a major set-back to their goals. Not to mention a huge wrench in Lune's own plans. Did they plan to ambush them on their way to the exchange point and then recapture their captives?

 _No, if they were willing to risk Blanche's life they would simply strike now..._ Anxiety filled her, who was on watch right now? Were their enemies already here in the shadows? She drew in the chill night air, nothing but budding plants and the damp earth filled her nose. With no wind, it would be hard to disguise their scents, but she wasn't convinced they were alone until she'd walked the perimeter around their headquarters and found it undisturbed with no sign of approaching enemies.

She returned to the others, finding them relaxing and chatting about what they would do when the StarReaders were gone. "We are still in enemy territory, stay alert," she snapped at Eagle who was telling the other young cats about how frantic the StarReaders were.

"What's wrong with being happy?" Ice shot back instantly, green eyes blazing and hackles raised, "I forgot, you're opposed to happiness," the gray she-cat went on sarcastically. Flint glanced between his mother and sister worriedly while Hail hissed at Ice to cut it out.

Jay couldn't help giving Ice a fierce, disapproving look before moving on to where Silver was, "Silver, I need some cat to act as messenger between us and Moss to make sure the captives are all released before we hand Blanche back over."

"You want me to do that?" Silver looked surprised and glanced around at the younger cats.

"No, Adder is more familiar with the territory than you, but I need you to take over guard duty for him," she explained, leading Silver, who led Thunderstorm, over to Blanche.

Jay quickly explained to Adder what she wanted him to do and he glanced up at the sky, it was impossible to tell when exactly was midnight when there was no moon, but she suspected the night was old enough.

"I'll do it, and I'll come right back if something seems wrong," he mewed and Jay was glad to see that at least he was still taking this seriously.

"Good luck, may StarClan light your path," the old, half-forgotten words rolled off her tongue before she realized what she was saying. Luckily, she only received a slightly confused look from the others before Adder darted off into the dark forest.

Jay turned back toward the others. They were moving around restlessly. Flint had the attention of the young cats for the moment, telling them the story of when Crow fell through a hole and found stars in the ground, using the absence of the moon to exaggerate the effect of the stars.

Silver had Blanche firmly held to the ground and Thunderstorm was warily grooming his pelt, ears swiveling every second to keep sharp surveillance around them. If this was how it was going to work out, then she needed to get the younger cats out of here. They no longer could serve any purpose and were a liability.

As soon as Adder came back, she'd send them off to join the newly freed captives. When it was time to exchange captives, she would send Silver and Thunderstorm after them and take Blanche herself. Her stomach turned. If she were the StarReaders she would plan an ambush at the exchange point, kill those who were there, and then send off an already prepared patrol to recapture the captives and the rest of the enemies.

Her tail swished, she was sure the captives and the rest of her cats could get away from this, but what about her and Ash? And it had to be her, she had the best chance of survival, of course, but even that was slim. Was she really going to sacrifice her and Ash's life to save the others? _No! I must find some other way, there's got to be something... think quickly._

As she paced the night wore on and she couldn't think of anything that would get around Lune's power. When they all arrived at the exchange point they were trapped, and all her speed and skills would be lifeless in Lune's power. Unless she sends some other cat, but the chance was nearly nonexistent. _Maybe she'll honor her word?_ There was an even smaller chance of that happening.

She clawed the ground in frustration, was she really going to let it end like this?! Walk to her own grave willingly, knowingly and do nothing about it?! In the Clans, she had gone into battles, knowing that the other Clans wanted to kill her. But she hadn't been alone then, and she had been confident that her skills would protect her.

But against Lune, all that was pointless. Every asset she had was a waste against Lune. And she didn't even know how Lune's power worked exactly, if she knew it's limits and abilities it would be possible to find some sort of countermeasure, but as it stood, she had nothing.

Despair circled her as she realized how helpless all her wit and strength were. She couldn't defeat Lune, couldn't even run away. "To greet death with joy is difficult to do," Blanche's voice was at once ancient and young, sweet and sour, soft and harsh.

Jay glared at the white she-cat, Blanche could 'see' her heart. The turmoil must all be amusing to her, as she battled within herself for some way out of this alive. "But what is it that gives you joy in the first place?" Blanche's eyes were trained on her while Silver cuffed her roughly, hissing at her to be quiet.

Jay's eyes trailed without her consent to where her two sons and daughter were gathered, huddling with the cats they had grown up with as they exchanged short whispers. Ice raised her eyes and their gazes met for a moment.

Jay didn't feel joyful as Ice glared at her, eyes as hard as stone. But her heart wavered as she remembered all the wonderful moments she had spent with her kits. They truly had given her the best time of her entire life.

But she didn't want it to end here, Jay realized it with a shock, she had always thought that she'd die young, her lifestyle seemed to demand it, but she didn't want it to end tonight. She wanted to watch her kits finish growing up, she wanted to watch them take their own paths, even if that path led away from her and toward the place she had run from. She wanted to see them happy and carefree again, and she wanted to be a part of their happiness.

But if it came down to her happiness and their future, she knew what decision she would make. I will not run away any longer, I will do all I can to survive, but I'll do even more to make sure they will live on.

When she had come to that conclusion she gave her kits one, long, sorrowful look. They didn't see it and Jay wondered how much time she had lost with them while walking upon the path she had taken to get here. She had sacrificed much for their future, what was her own life on top of that? Midnight had done as much for her kits, and look how happy they were now even with their mother gone?

She lifted her head as a pair of swift paw-steps approached. Adder had returned. She met the panting yellow tom, his brown eyes glittering with excitement and exertion. "The captives..." he panted, "They're being released right now. All of them," he added, giving Ash's kits a kind look. That meant that Crystal and her brothers were probably among them and the kits looked at each other in excitement.

"Alright," Jay lifted her head, "Adder, you will take the younger cats to join them and bring them back to Python's hideout. When every cat is there, you can retrieve Crow from the ravine and bring him back to the mountains," she ordered.

The cats looked at her in surprise, "But what about Ash? And the exchange?"

"I'll make the exchange myself, Silver and Thunderstorm will stay with me until I depart and then rendezvous with the others at the base of the eastern mountain," Jay mewed, sweeping her gaze over the others.

"You're sending us away again?" Ice challenged angrily, "What about Dusk Howl?" she asked, jerking her chin at the tom who had stayed quiet and motionless throughout the night.

Jay narrowed her eyes at her daughter, "He can accompany you," she mewed, feeling the words dry on her tongue. "But the demands were that only one cat was to bring Blanche to the exchange point. And that cat will be me."

"It's obviously a trap though," Silver mewed worriedly.

Jay shrugged, "Most likely, but Ash and I should be able to outrun them. That will also keep them busy if they intend to recapture the captives," her words were met with tense silent. It was hard to tell their expressions in the shadows of the trees, but they didn't seem happy with this. Jay's gaze was held by Adder and Dusk Howl's the longest, there was a knowing fear in them. They were the only two who knew of the StarReader's power. They knew that there was no way for her to outrun them.

"Well, standing around won't help any cat. The sooner you join the captives, the sooner you can all get to safety," she mewed, swishing her tail. The younger cats gathered around Dusk Howl and Adder, giving her good wishes.

"Stay safe, mom," Flint mewed, a touch of concern in his eyes.

Hail nodded, looking uneasy and confident at the same time, if such a thing were possible, "I know you can do it, see you later," he gave her a silly look, as if he were still a kit and Jay purred.

Jay looked at Ice expectantly, but the young gray cat had her back turned toward her, despite Dusk Howl whispering desperately, shooting Jay apologetic looks. Jay shrugged in response, as much as she would love to blame Dusk Howl, her fight with her daughter was her own fault. Her chest tightened when she thought that this might be the last time she saw Ice and she stepped toward her, mouth open to say some sort of reconciling words.

But Ice was marching away and Jay felt her tail droop with disappointment. "I'm so sorry, Jay," Dusk Howl mewed, close enough that only the two of them could hear, his eyes were full of fear, "I hope and pray that you'll survive this," he told her with feeling.

Jay inclined her head, almost touched by his emotion, "Thank you and... take good care of my kits. Especially Ice," she added, meeting his eyes.

Dusk Howl promised and started moving away with the younger cats, Adder hung back a moment longer. "Why are you doing this?" he asked quietly, looking at his paws. Jay purred, he hadn't acted this timid in a while.

"Because it's the only thing I can do," Jay mewed softly, frowning up at the tangled branches and leaves.

"You could just kill Blanche and leave, no need to go to the exchange point. At least you would survive," Adder muttered.

The thought hadn't even crossed her mind, despite all her thinking. It was possible for her to do that, Ash would certainly die- perhaps he would die slowly and painfully, tortured like Eagle and Thunderstorm's parents.

Jay felt sick and she was shaking her head, "Blanche has to stay alive for now anyways. And... I couldn't face any cat again if I abandoned one of my own. That's what being a leader is all about," she sighed.

Adder lifted his face, confusion and fear mixed frighteningly together. "You can't beat Lune, you will die," he mewed, voice thickening.

Jay pushed her muzzle against his shoulder, "Just think, your littermates are being released right now. As soon as you leave the clearing you can join them and together you all can defeat the StarReaders. I know it'll be difficult, but you can do this without me. I think, my role ends here and that was how it was always going to be."

Adder pulled away from her, struggling not to show emotion as he nodded his head and in a gruff voice answered, "I'll do it. I will beat them for you and everyone else." Then he took off after the others, his scent and the sound of his paw-steps quickly fading.

Jay suddenly felt alone, the quiet was unbroken and only Silver and Thunderstorm remained, as well as Blanche, and they all watched her with a hushed silence. Jay slowly joined them, sitting between them and letting their warm pelts and familiar scents comfort her grieving heart.

"Hey Jay," it was finally Silver who broke the silence. The dark gray queen had nearly fallen asleep and Silver's voice brought her out of it in a snap.

"Yes?"

"Do you remember when you got really sick?" Jay nodded. "Everyone was so worried when you left on your own, I was the only one you told after all. But every cat was too scared of getting sick again to go after you, nobody knew how to help so we were just going to leave you alone. Everyone, that is, except Ash."

"He went and took care of you, he went all the way back to the Ivy Cat's cave to gather supplies and asked all around the valley to find which medicine was right for you. And then he nursed you back to health. All the while none of us would help, finding excuses of why we couldn't. Frankly, I was still mad about you for keeping secret about Thunderstorm's parents, I... I wanted you to suffer a little."

Jay listened in silence, "I had always thought you and Ash hated each other," Silver mewed, as if she were wondering outloud, "But I think that the two of you were always... attached by something. And that's why we're all here now."

Jay sighed, she wasn't sure if they had been attached by anything but hatred for a long time, but their pasts, their loneliness and suffering. That, she was sure, had connected them in a way most cats never were. If Ash was to die, she would be there to see it. Not out of spite, but because their bond demanded it. They would witness the end together.

"It's almost time to go," Jay mewed, the sky was beginning to turn gray and the dew was falling damply on the grass and molten leaves. She stood up and turned to the two gray cats, Silver and Thunderstorm watched her uncertainly and she nodded her head, "Go on, I have it from here."

"We'll meet up at Python's base, won't we?" Silver asked, standing up and letting Jay take over pinning the she-cat to the ground.

Jay didn't answer as they started moving away slowly, waiting for her to give some sort of assurance. "Goodbye, Silver, Thunderstorm."

The two gray cats fled after that, leaving Jay all alone with Blanche. "The young tom was right, you could kill me now and still escape," Blanche mewed, her voice vaguely curious. "If you go, you will only die with the traitor."

"You mean Ash?" Jay answered lightly, twisting Blanche into an uncomfortable position to which the she-cat didn't respond. "Sorry, but my parents would hate me even more if they found out I abandoned one of my own cats. I could never call myself their leader again. Now up you go," Jay mewed, getting off Blanche and nudging her to her paws.

"You're a strange one," Blanche mewed as they walked through the forest, slowly because Blanche was old and blind. "You always put what you really want second to what you do. Even though you could have had everything you wanted if you put it first."

Jay didn't respond, she was tired of second-thinking her choices. Her life had never been perfect, why should that have changed? And what was wrong with it not being perfect? She had her kits, the kits she never would have had if her life had been perfect.

"If you had joined us, the stars surely would have smiled," Blanche sighed, her pale eyes grew tired and old and she seemed to glow less brightly as fog curled through the trees.

"We're almost there," Jay's voice was a whisper as they neared the fateful place where the StarReaders had attainted their control. I wish this was the end, I wish that at the very least, I could leave with the battle finished.

Her thoughts revolved around that as Jay led Blanche past the boulders surrounding the clearing and into the middle of the flattened, muddy clearing. Jay sat down, what was a little mud on her fur if she was about the die?

Blanche didn't seem to mind getting mud on her fur either, sitting down despite how obviously the mud sullied her fur. "My daughter is here," Blanche spoke.

"With eight others," Jay growled. That wasn't part of the deal either, so she thinks she won't be able to kill us on her own? At least she isn't as cocky as before. But Jay felt relieved, with so many cats coming to make the exchange, there probably wasn't enough to go after the others to recapture them like she'd feared. But it was as she thought, these cats were no warriors, strategies were way over their heads.

"She's brought her closest friends," Blanche mewed, her voice was weary, as if she were the one going to her death instead of Jay. "The ones that have the power of the stars."

Jay instantly stiffened, so she had brought all the cats that had powers? What foolishness! She doesn't need all of them, and now the others will for sure get away! She berated Lune's idiocy while at the same rejoicing in it.

Jay stood and sniffed the wind, Ash was among them as well and she sighed with relief that he was still alive. "You there!" Lune's voice rang over the silent valley as the white she-cat jumped onto the large, misshapen boulder Jay and Blanche were facing. "You have done well, I never expected you to stoop so low as to take my mother hostage. Your friends have been released and they will enjoy freedom, at least for a little while." Lune's ominous words were met by silence.

Jay was aware that the cats Lune had brought were spreading all around, each hiding behind a boulder, completely encircling them. Her eyes were brought to Ash, who stood at the base of the rock Lune stood upon.

"Now, let us exchange prisoners. My mother, Blanche, for your friend."

Jay nosed Blanche towards Lune and the white elder walked steadily toward her daughter's voice. Ash too began a slow walk toward Jay. It took her only a few moments to realize he wasn't just limping, he was keeping his entire right foreleg off the ground. They had injured him, there was no chance of running away now.

StarClan, I don't trust in you. But please, watch over my kits when I'm gone. The prayer came to her mind as she felt her destiny closing in around her. When Ash reached her he lowered his head, "You shouldn't have come," he muttered, but his gray eyes were soft and hazy.

Jay held his gaze for a long moment, "I couldn't leave you out of sight for too long, that would have been bad."

"So, this is how it ends," Ash sighed as Lune jumped to the ground, standing at her mother's side as the cats who had been hiding behind the rocks stepped out from behind them.

"For us at least," Jay mewed, raising her head as Ash leaned against her, breathing through his gritted teeth.

"Jay, taking one of our own is treason, and taking our sacred leader is treason beyond treason. We cannot honor you in any way other than death for your crimes. I had been hoping to thank you," Lune mewed, turning toward Blanche.

"But it seems you truly are useless," Jay pricked her ears at Lune's words, was this how it was supposed to go? Surely it was a mistake that Blanche now laid bloody on the ground, not a breath to stir the old cat's heart.

"Rest well, mother, I will see you again," Lune mewed sorrowfully, raising her eyes to the last glowing stars in the gray sky. "Now look what you've done. If you had just killed her, then I wouldn't have had to. I hope you're happy that you made me do that," Lune mewed, stepping toward her menacingly.

"You killed your leader," Jay echoed, not understanding. "But why?!" she burst out, angry and afraid as she looked around at the other StarReaders. There was Pepper and Cascade among them as well, but none of them seemed shocked. "You planned this," Jay mewed tiredly, realizing what was happening. Lune was next in line to be leader, with her mother gone she would rule the StarReaders. And since Blanche had been kidnapped, she could blame it on Jay and Ash. Also, these were Lune's 'closest friends' as Blanche had put it, they were all her alibies.

The perfect murder, now all was left was to kill Jay and Ash to take 'revenge' and it would all be complete. No wonder they went along with it all so easily! Lune had this planned, she played us for the fools we were.

Jay lowered her head, defeated. Now Lune would be leader and it was only a matter of time before she achieved the power she sought. And Jay would be long dead, unable to stop or protect anything.

"That was smart of you, Lune," Ash mewed, "But you didn't account for something. The stars are not on your side." Jay looked up at the orange tom, confused. He didn't even believe in the stars, what was he saying?

"You see," he mewed, taking a step forward. "We have our own star picked favorite."

Lune narrowed her eyes, "It isn't you or her, I can tell that at least. And all the others will die for me."

Ash smirked, "Don't be too sure about that."

There was a screech to their left and every cat turned in that direction to see the cat who had been standing there, Eagle Egg, the she-cat that could sense the slightest movement with her whiskers, had vanished.

"But what?" The cat who had been on the opposite side of the clearing, Whirl, had now vanished as well. Jay's fur bristled, what in StarClan's name was going on?!

Lune glared angrily at the two of them, "What are you doing?!"

"We aren't doing anything. It's the stars," Ash mewed cheekily.

Lune snarled and made to leap for them but then stumbled in shock, staring at the ground. "My power...? It isn't working!" Jay looked at her, was this all an act? But if not, then how?

Ash nudged her, motioning with his muzzle. Jay followed his gaze and her heart jumped as she saw a flash of gray fur and green eyes. Ice?

"And not just her, Eagle, Flint, Hail, Breeze, Rusty, even Panther. I've been training them like this ever since Ice got her 'power.'" Ash admitted as Lune's cats ran toward the white she-cat, terrified now that only four of them were left.

Pepper and Cascade were among them as they regrouped with Lune. Eagle Egg, Whirl, and Turtle Claw had already been defeated. "You trained them well," Jay mewed, helping Ash limp away from the raging white she-cat.

"Mom!" Jay looked up, her surprise melting to relief as Hail hurled himself against her, brushing against her chest and purring.

"What are you all doing here?" Jay asked as the young cats all looked up at her and purred.

"Adder said that you were in trouble, we couldn't just run away without showing what we can do!" Flint mewed, turning to face their enemies who seemed to be getting a hold of themselves.

"Ice?" Jay asked, looking at the gray she-cat who was stubbornly avoiding her gaze. Jay purred, "Thank you."

Ice looked at her in shock and then bowed her head, "My power that I got from the stars, it won't allow them to use their powers so long as I can see them," Ice murmured, nodding at the cats facing them across the clearing.

"So now they're just regular cats that we can beat the old-fashioned way!" Rusty cheered.

Jay looked at all the young cats around her and purred, her fear and despair evaporating like water on a hot day and swelling into pride. "Okay, I'll take care of Lune if you all can get the others. If you can, don't kill them though," Jay mewed, worried about these kits taking the same blood-stained path as her.

"Don't worry! We didn't kill the others either, they're just sleeping for now," Breeze purred.

"Ash, you stay back too," Jay mewed, looking at his twisted right leg.

He shrugged, "That's what I was planning on doing. Won't be much use like this," he shook his broken leg gently, grimacing in pain.

"Alright, let's go," Jay mewed, feeling her bloodlust skyrocket in a moment. Whether it was from all the sudden emotion or adrenaline, she couldn't tell. But she was proud of her cats, and of Ice, who had made this moment possible.

There's only five of them left, and as far as I know, none of them have any formal training. Without their powers, they're basically helpless. Jay almost expected them to scatter as they bore down on them, but they stood their ground and she found herself catch Pepper's gaze as she swept past. To think she was related to someone who would betray everything so easily, it was revolting.

Focusing her gaze on Lune, she leaped for the white she-cat, knocking her back a few steps with a well-aimed blow to the head while the kits fell in pairs of two to take on the adult cats. Lune found her balance, crouching and circling around her, spitting on the ground. "Do you think you've won?!" the she-cat roared, leaping for her.

Jay side-stepped and landed a vicious kick on the she-cat's side, sending her flying. "Yes," Jay mewed coldly, looking down upon her.

"Think again!" Lune hissed, leaping for her, but changing at the last second and charging toward Ice. If she kills Ice, she'll get her power back. But I won't let that happen. Jay leaped into the air, using her tail to land upon Lune's shoulders, pushing the she-cat to the ground and grabbing her head between her forepaws, repeatedly smashing Lune's head into the ground until the she-cat ceased trying to get up.

Panting, Jay looked up to see how the other cats were faring. Flint and Rusty were working to fight both Wolf Song and Fox Whisper while Hail and Ice tag-teamed Pepper, beating the cat back who suddenly looked as old and frail as Blanche had.

Breeze and Panther bravely nipped at Cascade's paws, the she-cat looked like she was on the brink of tears. Jay could purr, but she felt hollow on the inside. She had to kill these cats. Their powers should not exist and letting them live would not bring peace to the valley.

Bracing herself she first approached Cascade, the gray she-cat looked at her desperately, as if begging for her life. Jay pushed past Panther and Breeze, blocking their view as she plunged her fangs into Cascade's neck. It was over quickly, she had killed enough to know where exactly to clamp down to break the neck.

She let the she-cat fall limply, a pool of blood splashing against Jay's chest. Breeze and Panther looked horrified and skittered away from her. Jay ignored them, repeating the action with both Wolf Song and Fox Whisper, leaving the young cats stunned.

She wasn't sure how she would face them later, but as she approached Pepper she felt the heaviness of death on her shoulders. Before her was the cat who had been the brother to Rainstone, her kin. He had been kind to her and his sons, raising Sun to be a good leader despite the rules.

"Goodbye, Pepper," Jay mewed, pushing Ice and Hail out of her way. She hesitated for a moment as the tom ceased his defense, bowing his head, "Your sister, Rainstone, I do look like her, don't I?" Jay asked and he raised his head to nod. "Rainstone is not my mother as you thought, but she is the mother of my mother. I only met her once, but she spoke fondly of you," Jay mewed gently.

Pepper's eyes softened and then the light died as Jay ended his life. Paws trembling, Jay turned to go get the other three that had been taken out before the fight began but Ash waved his tail, she could see his blood spotted muzzle and she relaxed to know he had taken care of the others for her.

Was death the only way forward? Jay didn't think so, but she had no better answer. She raised her head tiredly, it was finally over, "We've won, let's go- "

"Lune is getting away!" interrupted Jay and she whirled around to see the she-cat running wildly away.

"But how? She wasn't breathing," Jay hissed, starting after the she-cat, but Ice was faster, sweeping past her in a gray blur.

"I'll keep her in my sight," Ice promised.

"Wait!" Jay called, frantically collecting herself and bursting into a sprint. Lune and Ice had gotten the jump on her and she swiveled her ears, wondering how far ahead the two of them had gotten as Lune's fear-tainted trail swerved all over the forest paths.

Her unease turned to horror as she leaped over a fern bush to slip on a puddle of blood. Before her, rivets of blood still leaked out of a tiny gray she-cat, green eyes that had only a moment before blazed were dull. Her face was not twisted in paint or surprise or shock, but total concentration on the chase. Ice had died totally unaware of what was happening.

It hit Jay like a bolt of lightning and she collapsed on the ground, her sobs and shrieks unable to escape due to the pain in her chest that seemed to tear her heart out, and instead her voice came like a dying choke. "You almost got me," the wavering and unstable voice came from Lune, who stood dazed over the she-cat. "But I can kill even without my power, and now that she's dead, it's all over. You've failed," Lune shrieked, stumbling over towards her.

Jay lifted her head, still sobbing, unable to do a thing to protect herself. After all, what was the point?! Her only daughter laid dead before her, because she hadn't been careful enough to check if Lune was dead or keep up with her own daughter! Was this a bad dream? Could she redo it over again? She was desperate to find an answer of some sort, but Ice grew colder and Jay couldn't bear to look at her or anything else so she closed her eyes and tucked her chin into her chest.

"Goodnight to you, Jay," Lune hissed, her voice full of lustful hate.

Jay's cries continued, untouched by Lune and she opened her eyes to find herself laying with her cheek against the dew damp grass, Lune was collapsed next to her with her pale eyes staring sightlessly into her own. Scarlet blood seeped from two fang marks on her neck.

 _Only two... that must be..._ She possessed enough of herself to search with her eyes for the black she-cat and found her standing over her. "It's been a while, Jay," the black cat mewed.

Jay blinked, "Amelia," the voice was like one pulled from a long, drunken sleep. Then she remembered Ice and everything went black.


	48. Time Turns

Jay had only grieved thrice before. Once was for the death of Thyme, her only friend among the Ivy Cats. Once for Midnight, who had died saving her kits. And one other time, for the death of her older sister. Emberheart had died in battle, taking a blow that was aimed for her wayward and blood-stained sister. Just another nightmare that had haunted her all the way from the lake.

But this was a new level of grieving, it didn't make her angry, it didn't make her sad, it certainly didn't make her happy either. The death of her kit brought a whole different meaning to the word regret.

After the battle Jay had fainted from shock, something she had never done before. She was revived a few minutes later by her two sons who were sobbing and blubbering over the cold, stiff body of their sister, Ice.

It still made her head reel, even as she sat in front of a mound of freshly churned earth. Here had been laid the body of her daughter, that life snuffed out forever. Yes, due to Ice's efforts Lune and, by default, the StarReaders, had been defeated, but the price had been too great.

Anyone would feel sad to see a young life lost, lost even before making it to their full twelve moons. Jay knew it happened, heck, she had killed cats as young as Ice before, but she had never thought about what it meant, not for the one being killed, but those related to the cat that was killed.

Death was scary, yes, but not as scary as being left behind to wonder what had happened and when you would rejoin with the lost one, or if you ever would. Jay couldn't say she felt hollow, or depressed. She had simply been flung into a sea of emotion in which she was powerless to escape or even to navigate at all.

Everything she had done had been to protect her kits and give them a future. But now it was painfully clear that she was unable to protect them, even if they were right in front of her. Jay shuddered, how could she have ever thought she could be a mother? How could she have thought she could be a leader? To gain love? Or affection? Those were reserved for the strong and good, not for the weak and evil. Her entire life had been one mistake after another, and this was the most fatal one.

Her ears pricked at the sound of twigs being snapped but she didn't turn her head. Her nose told her it was Dusk Howl. He came to a stop beside her slumped body, he didn't say anything but Jay could taste his sadness as if he were crying without reserve.

"I am so sorry, Jay," his voice was hoarse and Jay closed her eyes against it, turning away. She knew he was sad, but there was nothing to be done about it. "I knew sending them to you would be dangerous for them, but I didn't think Ice would die... I never would have gone against your order if I had thought this would happen."

Words were cheap. If she had known, she never would have stayed in this accursed valley. She glared up at the foliage, squinting against the sunlight that streamed through the leaves. Why had she fallen in love with this place? And what was worse, why did the thought of leaving still turn her stomach upside down?

"What about the StarReaders?" Jay asked, eyes sliding down to look at Dusk Howl, though she didn't turn her face away from the sunlight.

"They're confused, they know Lune and Blanche are dead. They don't know what to do anymore."

"At this point, you had planned to present Ice as their new leader, didn't you?"

Dusk Howl dropped his head, "I should have spoken to you about it sooner, all three of us should have," he looked regretfully at the grave. "But now," his voice became tight as his tail lashed, "I can't face them at all."

Jay turned her eyes skyward again. Usually she would yell at him to grab some back-bone, after all this was part of their deal, but now she was unable to find the words. Her face felt hot, and then cold and her paws could have been rooted to the ground and she wouldn't have known the difference, they felt so heavy.

"Do you still love the StarReaders?" Jay managed to ask at last.

"Of course," Dusk Howl responded immediately.

"Then you can find the strength inside to face them. You've left them leaderless, now you must guide them." Jay's words held no emotion, they were quiet and spoken with a pained apathy, but Dusk Howl looked at her sorrowfully.

"Do you think I can really do this? After being driven away and helping kill two leaders and several members? They might kill me on the spot."

Jay tilted her head, "Are you afraid of death?"

Dusk Howl was panting now, "Yes."

"Then you can do it. You are scared, but you know your fears. If you truly love the cats that raised you, your ancestors, and Ice, then you can do it."

Dusk Howl didn't respond for a few moments and then he sighed, "I'm going then. Will you be okay?" he asked, leaning in so close Jay had to look at him.

"I have to be," Jay mewed, her voice catching, she pushed him away and he left her alone. The day wore on, the chirping of birds and the sweet breeze did little to distract Jay. Eventually she fell asleep, curled at the edge of her daughter's grave.

In her dream Jay was wandering around a foggy moor, looking for something, but she couldn't remember what she was looking for. No matter how loud she yelled, she couldn't hear her own voice, and no matter how far she ran nothing ever changed. Had she gone from being trapped by wicked thoughts to empty ones?

"Jay!"

The she-cat startled awake, instinctively striking with her forepaw at the cat that was shaking her shoulder. She heard an "Oomph!" as the cat she pushed stumbled backwards. Jay relaxed as she realized it was Ash.

The next thing she realized was it was dark, she had slept all day long and she still felt drained. She turned away from Ash, "Leave me alone."

Instead of trying to console her or give her sweet words, the orange tom hissed. "You can't grieve forever, you are a leader, you have other cats depending on you. There's nothing you can do for Ice now, we need you!" Ash's voice rose louder and became angrier with each word until he had pinned her down with his paws on her shoulders and she was staring blankly up at him, tears forming in her eyes.

"I know, I know that but-" her voice choked and she turned her head away as the tears spilled over. She simply missed her daughter, she wanted to see Ice again, happy and carefree with all her other friends and siblings. She wanted desperately to watch Ice grow up and follow her path as independently as she had followed her own.

But she couldn't. Because, in the end, Jay had chosen her path over her kits. Even when she had thought she was doing it all for them, it had been for her. For her to prove she could decide what was best for everyone and save every cat.

"It hurts, I know it does," Ash mewed gently and Jay remembered that he had lost his kits as well, before he ever got to meet them. "But if you live the rest of your life sulking about it, then what will Ice think when she looks down on you from up there?" he asked, raising his head and pointing up at the stars.

Jay gazed at the expanse of beauty that hovered past the trees and mountains. Was Ice up there? Safe and sound and waiting for them? The answer was not given to her but Jay felt that maybe for the first time, she could believe, after all, Ice had.

"Come on now, your sons are worried as well as everyone else," Ash mewed, pulling Jay to her paws.

"Everyone else?" she echoed, leaning against him as they trampled through the undergrowth, not bothering to be quiet for once. After all, they had won the war.

"Yes, everyone," Ash answered, not elaborating any further and they neared the clearing where Jay had made her den long ago.

The cat scent was overwhelmingly strong and Jay realized, as she felt wariness rise within, she was no longer accustomed to being with a large group of cats like she had been in the Clans. Voices were raised as well, in anger, fear, and conflict.

Taking in a deep breath, Jay forgot her shocked sorrow in her keen curiosity. "It really is everyone," she murmured, pushing through the ferns into the clearing.

Shadowy lumps filled the clearing, each one a separate cat. Above, the sky gleamed with a faint silver that feel upon them, but the dark didn't stop several cats from letting their voices be heard.

"The StarReaders enslaved us for moons! Why should we not kill them all now?!" Although it had been a long time, Jay instantly recognized Pine's voice. The large tom was standing above the slumped forms of the other cats, but many voices were raised in support of him.

"Why? So that you can enslave us instead?" A feminine and unfamiliar voice snapped back, more cats growled their support for her and Jay noticed Adder standing by the she-cat, tail lashing. One of his littermates?

"Please, calm down, I'm sure we can talk things out to find what is best for everyone," the strained voice trying to calm every cat down undoubtedly belonged to Dusk Howl. So, he was really trying after all.

"Why should we listen to you? You were one of them!" a voice spat and chaos ensued as voices bid for the most attention.

Ash led her amongst the cats and she could feel their fear radiating off them in waves. They were all shocked by what had happened and now they didn't know what to do. Plus, they were tired and hungry, like her, it didn't seem like many cats had gotten any food or sleep.

Jay realized she was looking for some faces and Ash nudged her, nodding toward the edge of the clearing. She let out a sigh of relief as she recognized her two sons along with Ash's kits, Silver, and Thunderstorm all waiting tensely by the edge of the clearing.

But it made her remember that Ice was gone and a wave of guilt and pain overtook her. "Come on, stay focused," Ash hissed.

Jay shook, why should she? Hadn't she done enough for these wretched cats? If they were going to fall back into the old cycle of hatred why should she lift another paw to help them? She'd freed them, they could figure it out themselves.

"Do you want Ice's sacrifice to be for nothing?" Ash hissed, sounding more agitated. _Why did she have to be sacrificed at all?!_ Jay shot back in her mind, but she was mute. To lose after coming this far... it stirred anger in her warrior's spirit.

"What am I supposed to do with all these cats? Dusk Howl hasn't even gotten the StarReaders under control yet."

"These cats need a leader right now, and you are one. They're recognize you soon enough. For now, you need to stop Pine and Brie from killing each other," Ash hissed, angling at the tom and she-cat who were arguing ferociously while cats seemed to split to join one of each side.

Jay lashed her tail, she wasn't up to this right now, her heart was still sick and she couldn't stand the overwhelming pressure around her. She felt a sudden shiver down her spine as a familiar presence pressed up on her side opposite of Ash.

"Go on, amuse me," the muttered voice belonged to Amelia. Jay looked to her side, wondering if it was really her and the black she-cat winked an amber eye at her.

Jay fluffed out her fur, slightly encouraged by Amelia's reappearance. Although she had been sure if was Amelia who killed Lune, the she-cat had disappeared when she woke up again and no one else had seen the black she-cat.

Streaking through the throng, Jay jumped up onto a fallen log, putting herself above the cats and releasing a long yowl to gather their attention. Her paws prickled as she found she had every cat's attention and she had to take a deep breath to calm herself.

"My name," she mewed boldly, "Is Jay. I am one of the cats that led the attack against the StarReaders and killed those leading them." That instantly caught everyone's interest, she was responsible for this and she could feel them pushing it on her.

"Then you agree that we should destroy the StarReaders while we have the chance?" Pine yowled to her, he was hiding his shock well, even if he did seem a little dazed. Apparently, he remembered who she was.

Jay could see the remaining StarReaders huddled in the middle of the clearing with cats all around them. They must have been rounded up by the others when it was known that Blanche and Lune were dead, as well as their strongest members.

"No." The one syllable word rang across the clearing. "The StarReaders conquered the valley because we had been consumed by our hate and prejudice against each other. Not all of them had the best intentions, but their invasion was not for no reason. Do you want to return to the place we were before? Why not move past it!"

Voices yowled their dissent with her and she could tell they were terrified of being captured again. "Dusk Howl, do you have the StarReaders support?" she called out to him.

The brown and ginger tom startled but quickly recovered, "Yes, if I can keep them safe they will follow me."

"Dusk Howl is a friend of mine, I trust him to guide the StarReaders on the path to peace. I believe their friendship will be worth far more than their enmity. They will return to their valley of stone and water in the mountains and will come here only in times of great need, is that correct?"

"Yes, we pledge it on our lives and our legacies," Dusk Howl answered, sounding stronger and grateful.

"Then lead your cats home, what happens in the valley now is none of your concern. Now, I'm aware many cats were forced to join the StarReaders, any cat who does not wish to remain with them may stay here. But they will be subject to our judgement and decisions," she warned.

Dusk Howl agreed and began leading the StarReaders away. Jay was surprised by how many Ivy Cats remained with them, almost exclusively all of them were female. Of course, living with the StarReaders would have been the first time any of them experienced any worth in their life, of course they wouldn't want to risk returning to the servitude they had been trapped in.

Jay watched Whisper follow them out, her head lowered. She wondered if the she-cat even knew what was happening, she must be grieving for her mate, Pepper. But Jay was slightly surprised to see Rainfall remain behind, she would have thought the she-cat would leap at a chance to get away from all of this.

Oh well, back to the real problem. "Ivy Cats, followers of the late Python, and rogues. You have all been freed from your captivity. So now I ask you, will you resume your battles from before or will you search for something more?"

"I believe it is time we are finally able to put the past behind us and walk forward into a new and better future. At this moment, anything is possible, and it all depends on you. If you choose war, the valley will run red with blood. If you decide to scatter alone, the forest will hide you. If you decide to unite for peace and protection, the stars will smile upon you all your days. I cannot make the decision for you, but I ask that you join me and bring peace and security to all those here."

The cats murmured amongst themselves. It was going to be difficult. Unlike in the Clans where you had maybe a few cats make the decision for the many, here most cats were making the decision for themselves. Of course, some had no option, the elderly would not choose war or to go it alone, nor would the young or those who needed help. But would there be enough able-bodies to create this dream of peace?

"I'll join you." The voice belonged to Ash and she watched him limp his way through the dark masses over to her, standing at the bottom of the log and raising his head, as if daring the others to say something.

"We'll join too!" That was Flint, he was leading Hail, Eagle, Breeze, Rusty, and Panther over to her and after a moment they were followed by Silver, Thunderstorm and Crow, who had been retrieved from the ravine during the day.

"I will too," Adder left his two littermates and stepped over to them.

"Adder!" his sister, who seemed to be the one Ash called Brie, the one who was arguing with Pine earlier, sounded exasperated.

"He's right, you know," Adder's other littermate, a brother, mewed, following Adder.

"You too, Hawk?" Brie sighed, seeming to think a moment before she followed her brothers, leading the group of cats that had backed her up against Pine.

Jay blinked, suddenly it seemed she had half the clearing on her side, and more were still joining. "What are you going to do with all these cats?" Pine challenged her, seeming sulky now that it was evident he would not be able to oppose her forcefully with his paltry acquaintances.

Jay raised her head, energy sparking in her paws, "We will form a new group. One devoted to protecting all its members and keeping justice and order for all. We will be known as the Ivy Guild, and we will protect this valley from anyone or anything that would cause it harm."

More cats joined her at those words and although she'd seen a few cats slipping away through the woods, it seemed the majority had joined with her. All that was left was Pine, who stood with his father, Night, Sun, and several others, unconvinced quite yet to leave behind the lives they had known with the Ivy Cats.

"I will join you," Night announced, the old tom limped toward her and Jay felt a surge of appreciation for this old cat. Even though she had killed his good friend, Pepper, he still was willing to help her.

At this even Pine dipped his head respectfully and the last few cats joined her. That was it, Jay was shocked by how many she had won over to her. Was she really that great if a leader? Could she reach their expectations? The fear that her best wouldn't be enough lingered, but she pushed past it, she would have to try. For their sakes, and Ice's.

...

Moons passed, new-leaf fully came and the Ivy Guild continued its difficult work. The first problem Jay had to overcome was where to make a camp. The old StarReader camp was too small and cramped, not to mention full of bad memories. And the clearing where she had made her den was too close to the sinking sand to be suitable for so many cats.

Eventually she decided to return to the place that she had gotten the name 'Ivy' from. The Ivy Cat's cave. It took some convincing for the others, though the former Ivy Cats were overjoyed at this decision. The cave was large enough for all of them to be comfortable and the dens were spacious enough as well, though some cats had to be split up from the main group. Some had to sleep in one of the leader's old dens and some more in the second nursery, as they only needed one.

Of course, Jay found that Silver and Thunderstorm really didn't mind sleeping by themselves in Sun's old den while Jay and Ash took Night's. Jay also decided to make the second nursery an elder's den. Although the Ivy Cat's had never officially had a recognized elder rank, they took to it willingly enough.

She made it that elders were excused from all duty and were served by the trainees, which was half the Guild at first, since most of them had to be trained to hunt or fight or both. Anyways, Crow seemed happy for the added company of Night, Tinge, Crystal, Stretch, Pummel, Cinder, and Fish and they never seemed bored when they were swapping stories.

As the leader of so many cats, Jay appointed several cats as captains. The first captain was Ash, who held the most authority, second only to Jay, and oversaw helping her manage all affairs that had to do with the well-being and protection of their cats.

After much deliberation, Jay made Glade and Pine captains. Glade's calm demeanor and expertise was invaluable in finding what standard all full members must be held at. And although Jay didn't much like Pine personally, she had to admit he was an excellent motivator for all the cats and caught the admiration of many. He quickly became a skilled hunter and was an excellent fighter, able to even defeat Ash in practice bouts. Jay mostly had him train the younger cats and he and Hail made a rather unique bond, often going out for extra training sessions after dusk.

The rest of the cats were a mix of talent and it took moons to train them all. However, the biggest task was always food. Although they had nearly tripled the number of cats who had gone hunting from the time the Ivy Cats lived in this cave, the fact of the matter was they'd also more than doubled the amount of mouths to feed.

So, Jay had to make another change, the day wasn't long enough for every cat to get out to go hunting, so she started making night patrols. She knew that in the Clans, ShadowClan was the only one to go hunting at night. She'd heard it was because there was less prey there than in the other Clans.

But it seemed that with hunting patrols going out all the time, every cat could remain well fed through new-leaf and green-leaf. But she worried about what leaf-fall and leaf-bare would bring. She was also worried about sickness running rampant among so many cats.

But she trusted their head herbalist, Thunderstorm, to do his best. The blind tom had taken a special affinity to herbs, finding a fun hobby in experimenting with new remedies for illnesses. He had far surpassed anything Jay had learned. And although many Ivy Cat she-cats had jumped at this new life of equality, a few had preferred to remain herbalists and aided him in his work, Silk, Bluebell, and Feather being a few of them.

That was another thing, to completely leave old wounds and memories behind was impossible. Jay had lost count of how many ties she'd gone to sleep expecting the cats to be tearing each other to shreds by the time she woke up. But with the steady efforts of Glade and Pine, and Sun's occasional wise input, they managed to avoid all out fighting and the struggles gradually decreased. Though a few clung to their old hatred and avoided their former opponents like the plague. But for the most part, they'd become a real community.

Jay was proud of it. She laid on her back, staring at the soft fluffy clouds, thinking about all this. The air was hot, cicadas sung like their life depended upon it, and the clear mountain air filled her lungs. It had already been five moons since the Guild had been formed.

She wished Ice was here to see it, she still missed her daughter desperately and thinking about it sent a pang through her chest. But it was a bittersweet pain, as she remembered Ice's glowing green eyes as she played with the other kits, and the wide wonder as she stared at the moon. The fierce power as she faced off against the StarReaders...

Jay sighed and rolled onto her side, staring at a tiny black bug that climbed on a long blade of grass. Ice probably would have joined Dusk Howl if she had survived, that's what Jay thought. She hadn't seen a single StarReader since they'd left, though Amelia told her that they had returned to their quiet ways and Dusk Howl had been very welcoming to those who chose to remain with them, even though his initial intent was to send them away. Maybe she'd visit him someday and reminisce.

The wind blew over the hills, pulling gently at her fur and she closed her eyes, basking in the golden light and gentle breeze. She had left the forest for the day, enjoying roaming over the hills until she found a good spot to rest. She had made it clear to the others that she needed time to herself every now and then, and they were respectful enough to leave her be. These moments were precious to her and she dwelled in them.

"Shh! She's going to notice you!"

"Let's get her before she wakes up!"

"This is going to be funny."

Jay cracked open one eye, scanning the downwind curve of the hill. Since she couldn't smell them, that was where they were hiding. She pretended not to notice, lying very still and letting her breath deepen.

"We've got you now!" a shrill voice broke off and she heard the pounding of several paws. She waited for the moment when there was a pause in the sound and rolled away. "Oomph!" They landed where she had been a heartbeat before.

"Five more minutes," Jay mewed sleepily and the three voices giggled.

"You're funny, Master Jay," one of the voices said and Jay purred, sitting up and opening her eyes to face her three assailants. Although, it still felt weird to be called 'Master.' It had been Pine's idea, saying there had to be some sort of way to address Jay to show she was the leader. Jay thought it was silly, but the cats had taken up the idea on their own. So, she was 'Master,' the captains were, of course 'captain,' and Thunderstorm and his aides 'herbalist.'

Before her were three kits, all a different shade of gray. One was a smoky gray, like a dark cloud on a stormy evening, his name was, fittingly, Storm. The second was a sleek silver tom, with short fur and long whiskers, he had been named Ice, after Jay's late daughter. And the last, a dark gray calico she-cat with a few spots of orange on her shoulders and ears, named Brook.

"Your mother will be worried that you wandered so far off," Jay mewed, narrowing her eyes at them sternly. "Now come with me and we'll go back," she got up and herded the tiny kits in front of her. She watched them carefully as they made their way back, making sure none of them twisted their paw in a rabbit hole or accidentally walked into a briar bush and got thorns in their fur.

"Brook! Ice! Storm! There you are!" the exasperated shout came as they were nearing the cave and Jay purred as Silver burst through the greenery, stomping over to the three kits who seemed to find the forest floor incredibly intriguing right now.

Silver noticed Jay and dipped her head, looking a little embarrassed, "I'm sorry they bothered you on your day off. We were sleeping in the nursery and when I woke up they were gone. Adder said he saw them heading out after you and thought you were taking care of them, but I knew you would have told me if you had," Silver mewed, sighing in relief. "Thank you for bringing them back."

Jay nodded her head, "It's no problem at all, I should have paid more attention. But we're going to have some fine trackers if I didn't notice them all that time," she mewed, her words raising the kit's spirits a little.

"Now come on kits, let's go back to the nursery," Silver mewed, "And no more solo-adventures!"

"Yes, mother," the kits chorused, dragging their paws as they followed their mother. At six moons old, they were almost ready to begin their training.

"Looks like your break wasn't much of one," Ash's voice startled her and she looked up to find the orange tom lounging on one of the tree branches.

"Ash, honestly," she sighed, "If I goofed off as much as you, I'd never need to take a break."

"That's hurtful," Ash mewled pitifully, but he rolled onto his back, his head hanging off the tree branch and grinned at her, which looked more like a sneer when he was upside down. "Come on, you still have a little time, don't you?" Ash asked, leaping lightly to the ground beside her.

"Yes," Jay mewed dubiously, suspicious of what he had planned. He led her toward the cave, but instead of stepping behind the tiny waterfall into the cave, he led her past it to a tiny flat space on the mountainside where it was green and there were many soft dips filled with moss.

"What is this place?" Jay wondered, surprised there was such a soft place on the crumbling mountainside.

"It was a... special place for the Ivy Cats. We didn't come here for just any reason," Ash mewed. "But all that's over, so now," he said, stepping toward a dip and pulling out a young rabbit. "It's almost dusk, so let's enjoy the sunset with a meal," he purred.

Jay purred back and happily went to sit by him on the soft, springy moss. The rabbit was soft and succulent and she leaned against him, not even minding the extra heat as she watched the sun slide further down the sky. The light turned from gold to a bronze, and from bronze to rose, and from rose to deep crimson and from their faded into purple-gray. Jay purred, her belly was fur and the sweet coolness of the night was wonderful after the scorching day.

"We better head back before it gets too late, I don't like leaving them without one of us for too long," Jay mewed, getting to her paws. But Ash stopped her, wrapping himself around her so that they slid onto the ground.

"Don't worry about them, I told Glade we wouldn't be back till morning, she's got everything under control."

Jay blinked at him, they were lying side to side so that their fur brushed against each other. "All night?" she repeated, frowning at him.

Ash laughed and raised a paw in a long sweep of the sky, "Just watch the stars with me, we haven't done this in moons." It didn't take any more convincing for Jay to agree and she snuggled against him, watching the stars appear in the endless dark sky.

"Do you believe each star is the soul of a dead cat?" Ash asked.

"Yes, when a cat dies they join StarClan, and becomes one of the stars in the sky. All our ancestors are up there.," Jay had told him a bit about the Clans since they'd started the Guild, because she took so much inspiration from them.

"Kind of unbelievable, huh?" Ash mewed, he still didn't believe.

"I suppose, but Ice truly did believe. And I think she was right."

"Do you think Amelia will ever come back?" he asked next.

"Who knows," Jay sighed, the black she-cat had stayed the first moon the guild was founded and then disappeared, promising to return one day but not one day soon.

"Hey, Jay," Ash's voice was lower. "I told you once that I could never love any cat other than my first mate, didn't I?"

"And I told you I could never love anyone but my first mate either."

Ash turned his head to look at her and she met his gaze, finding it surprising serious and gentle, "Do you want us to prove each other wrong one last time?"

Jay gazed into his eyes. The haze had disappeared, now they were a soft, enveloping, powerful gray that sparked something inside her every time she saw him. "Yeah, I think it would be fun."


	49. Epilogue

"The mountains finally have peace."

Song lifted her head, ears pricked as that old, familiar voice resounded in her head. "Time," she sighed, turning around knowing she would find the ancient black tom. He was there, standing with his head raised and a glow in his red eyes that was unnatural and yet, suited him. Song noted that he seemed wearier than the last time she had seen him.

"It's good to see you, Time," she mewed warmly, walking across the starry meadow to her old friend. But he took a step back and shook his head. He was always like this, he never stayed in the starry hunting grounds like most long-dead cats. It was part of his curse, he had nowhere to belong, so he wandered around looking for others to share his gift and curse with.

Time turned and stalked away with his back toward her, but didn't make to leave. "So, after three generations-"

"Four," Song corrected.

"Four generations," he gave her an annoyed look, "You've finally corrected the path of the mountain cats." He didn't sound pleased, or impressed. Song knew why.

"I never forced them to take their paths," she objected as he gave her a disapproving look.

"You pushed them hard enough," he scoffed.

"You helped me," Song reminded him, walking up behind him, the soft moonlight glowing like silver on their black fur. But while hers sparkled with stars, his remained pitch-black like a moving shadow.

"Yes, because I respect you and it is not my concern," Time mewed gruffly, averting his eyes from hers. "Giving Scorch those powers and guiding Jay along when she started breaking your plans helped keep me occupied for a time."

"But now it's over," Song broke in abruptly, flicking her ears at the mention of Jay.

The tom rolled his eyes, "You still can't stand her?"

Song growled, "It was hard-hearted cats like her that led the mountain cats along the wrong path to start with. But she's doing an acceptable job for now."

Time looked around the meadow and with a flick of his paw a round surface, like a clear pool, appeared, and images moved inside it. "'Acceptable?'" he echoed.

In the pool was an image of Jay training a young group of cats on how to properly hunt as teams, working with a filed-out and able Adder to demonstrate the moves. "She's doing more than an 'acceptable' job if you ask me."

"Well, I didn't ask," Song mewed, fur fluffing up defensively as she viewed Jay through a slitted glare. "She rubs me the wrong way," the black she-cat admitted with a growl.

To her surprise, Time laughed out at that and she looked up to see his eyes glittering brightly. "Aren't you a little too old to hold such petty feelings?"

"And aren't you too old to tease me so?" Song shot back, but she was on the brink of laugher now. She knew she was a little ridiculous, but Jay was too wild and unpredictable, she didn't like the idea that the fate of the mountains was in her paws.

"And what would Ice say if she knew you were so suspicious of her mother?" Time asked, a little more seriously.

Song's whiskers drooped, her heart had broken when the young she-cat had died. To have to go and guide a young cat with so much life ahead of her to a place in the stars was hard enough. But to know that it was her fault, that was even worse. It was as Time said, she had set Rainstone, Scorch, and Ice all upon their paths. She wondered if it was karma that the one cat she passed up, Jay, was the one who saved the mountains in the end. Of course, if it wasn't for her, Jay never would have been born, but she wasn't splitting hairs.

"Let's leave Jay alone for now," Song interrupted, slashing her tail through the picture pool and dissolving it in a few seconds. She raised her head, taking a deep breath of the cold, mountain air. It tasted like frost on the tongue and burned deep in your lungs- but not one that hurt like in the deep cold season, this burn invigorated you.

Song closed her eyes, she could remember the first time she'd breathed this air. It was so long ago, before any other cat had come to call this valley a home. Bleary eyed and with bleeding paws, she and her family had found refuge here and together had made a home of it.

And now, after many trials and difficulties, so many lives and deaths later, the cats of this valley were finding their own refuge here. It warmed her through like no sunlight could. "You truly love this valley, don't you?" Song sighed at the rhetorical question. The answer was obvious, she had never loved something so much, and it was for that reason that she had gone through all the time, effort, and risk to bring the valley, and the cats living in it, to this peace. Even if it meant sacrificing Ice and hurting Rainstone, Scorch, and Jay, Song would do it all over again.

"Not that I don't enjoy your company," Song mewed, breaking off from her nostalgia to face Time again, "But you don't usually wander in here for a simple chat."

Time dipped his head, "I was passing through and I got an unusual request."

Song pricked her ears and then lifted her nose as four distinctly different, but all foreign scents washed upon her. Although there was nothing to fear in this star protected haven, Song's fur instinctively bristled at the scent of strangers. Though they weren't that strange, for she recognized them almost immediately.

Out of the shadows stretched four shadows, all merging at a point to form a black spike angled at her. Song lifted her head proudly. Before she had met these cats with her head down, begging for their help as she followed Rainstone far away from her thousand-season home to try to fix the mess in the valley.

And now they all stood together again, and this time Song could look them in the eyes and be confident in herself and in her descendants. "Song, it's been a long time," Seedtail, an ancient ThunderClan medicine-cat mewed, stepping forward. He had always been a bit wary of aiding her, an outsider, but now his foggy blue eyes glowed with genuine warmth as he met her in her starry skies.

"I am honored that you have traveled so far to see me," Song mewed, dipping her head as she welcomed her visitors. She was happy to be reunited with the only StarClan cats that she could call friends, and particularly with Softpaw, a former WindClan apprentice whose death had united the Clans long enough to grant them peace for many moons.

The gentle pale orange she-cat was as delicate and friendly as ever, while Smokepool's ShadowClan humor amused her as they drifted through the stars all night long. Apparently things by the lake had become calm, calm enough for the four of them to venture out to visit her.

The black she-cat paused as they neared the top of one of the mountain peaks, the stone below her paws was smooth and cold and the clear, and above the ebony sky was smeared with silver stars and haloed the full white moon that rested on top of the mountain peak.

"Time left," she observed, finding that the black tom had slipped off somewhere along the way.

Rosewing bobbed her head, "He left on our way up, just before we were half-way up. I am thankful that he guided us on our way to the valley before he left though," Leave it to the former RiverClan deputy to notice the exact moment Time departed.

"I really am grateful that you all took the time to visit me," Song changed the subject, after all, they were all aware that Time had a habit of ignoring what was considered 'proper' goodbyes.

"It was a special occasion," Seedtail answered, nodding his brown tabby head, although his fur looked white in the full moonlight.

"That's right," Softpaw's blue eyes sparkled, "In the Clans they are celebrating their liberation from Nightwing and Pinefur. And we do have you to thank for that. If it hadn't been for you, Rainstone, and Scorch, I imagine the Clans would have had a much tougher time of it," Softpaw sighed.

"You came to us, ragged and desperate all those moons ago," Smokepool joined in, "And more determined than a cornered rat. We thought we were all being high-pawed and generous with you, being the only members of StarClan that were willing to give you an ear. But in the end, you and your kin were the ones who saved us."

Song was stunned as all four cats dipped their heads to her. "Thank you, Song."

The black she-cat could have wept with joy or hidden her face in embarrassment, but either way her chest was full of emotion as she nuzzled first Softpaw and Smokepool, and then surprising Seedtail and Rosewing with an affectionate cuddle as well. "You don't know how happy this makes me," the old black she-cat's voice rasped, "But I should really be thanking all of you. I can never repay what you did for me."

"Oh no! Don't speak of debts! We're trying to be happy tonight!" Smokepool mewed, nudging her up until the five of them stood on top of the mountain peak, the mountains rising and falling in peaks and ravines in one direction and in another, the green valley sweeping out like an oasis for life among all that cold stone.

They stood, gazing at the moon in rapture. It was so big tonight, Song could close her eyes and feel herself being dragged up into it. At this very moment, all was right in the world. Despite her being long dead. She was content with her friends around her and her family near to her. She had accomplished what she had dreaded was a fool's goal, and on her journey, had made new friends and helped many a cat.

"I think," Rosewing mewed quietly, "That this is the start of a propitious time."

Song's ears twitched as Smokepool snorted at Rosewing's choice of words and Softpaw whispered desperately to Seedtail, "What does 'propitious' mean?"

Song felt a grin spread to her face as she rested her eyes on the glowing white moon, "Yes, Rosewing, I think you're right."


End file.
